ep. 124: Untangling Hair pt 1: Racism and Going Natural
When twin sisters Mya and Deanna Cook wore braided extensions to school, they had no idea it would instigate a fight for their civil rights. In part one of our series all about [head] hair, we untangle Black hair discrimination and the CROWN Act movement to end it. Plus, listener Tara Nelson takes us on her natural hair journey and why it was about so much more than just hair.
Correction: In the original version of this episode, we referred to the Massachusetts attorney general as “he.” Listener Margaret emailed to let us know that our assumption was way off: The Massachusetts attorney general was — and still is! — Maura Healey. We’ve updated the language in the episode and regret the error.
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Sources
Burton, Nsenga K. Let Go of Our Hair and Let Our Girls Learn. The Root. May 20, 2017.
Callender, Samantha. The Tignon Laws Set The Precedent For The Appropriation and Misconception Around Black Hair. Essence. Feb. 9, 2018.
Dillard, Coshandra. Loc’d Out: How Thoughtless Dress Codes Can Harm Students From Day One. Learning for Justice. Aug. 17, 2018.
Griffin, Chanté. How Natural Black Hair at Work Became a Civil Rights Issue. JSTOR Daily. July 3, 2019.
Honore, Pretty. Pass The CROWN: Why This Exec Is on a Mission to End Black Hair Discrimination. xoNecole. July 3, 2020.
Kelleher, Susan. Daughter taken out of class at Thurgood Marshall Elementary; parents have lots of questions. The Seattle Times. June 4, 2010.
Robinson, Dena Elizabeth and Tyra Robinson. Between a Loc and a Hard Place: A Socio-Historical, Legal, and Intersectional Analysis of Hair Discrimination and Title VII. University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class. Vol. 20, Iss. 2. 2020.
Tell Me More. Second-Grader's Dreadlocks Cause For Concern? NPR. Sept. 12, 2013.
