Art by Tula Winton
When I think back to the first time I ever got braids, I wasn’t aware of the history I was wearing on my head.
The history behind braids, specifically among Black people, is more extensive than you may think. During slavery, cornrows were used as food and money storage and also maps.
Ancestors would put rice, seeds and sometimes gold in between a section of hair and braid that section of hair into a cornrow.
The rice was used as a small food source for slaves if they were captured and traveled across the Atlantic Ocean or escaped captivity in America.
The seeds and gold were used as a starting point in creating a new life for themselves. This way, they could grow and sell crops and have a little money to get them by.
Women would braid different patterns into men and women’s hair as a way to create maps, escape passages, and meeting times.
Despite this rich history, hairstyles like dreadlocks, have been viewed as “untidy” and “unprofessional.” Yet those same styles were adopted by non-Black people and branded as “cool” and “trendy.”
In 2013, a woman named Chasity Jones was offered a position in customer service but had it revoked after refusing to cut her locs. Following that incident, a lawsuit was filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Unfortunately, they lost the suit. That’s not uncommon. Lawsuits like this have been made and dismissed for over 40 years.
In 2018, Kim Kardashian faced backlash for wearing Fulani braids to the MTV Movie and TV Awards.
“You’ve literally become the face of cultural appropriation in America,” one X (formerly Twitter) user posted after the show.
Kardashian then stated that it was her daughter, North West’s, idea for her to wear that style in the first place.
“I’m not tone deaf to where I don’t get it. I do get it.” said Kardashian in an interview with Bustle, a lifestyle website.
To combat the oppression, the first CROWN Act bill was introduced in California in 2019 by Senator Holly J. Mitchell. Short for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” the CROWN Act prohibits any person or company denying or refuse employment or dischargement to anyone because of their race, color, creed, religion, sex, or national origin.
The CROWN Coalition has received corporate support from Dove and many other companies.
In 2021, Dove conducted a research study finding that Black women are 1.5-times more likely to be sent home from their workplace because of their hair and 3.4-times more likely to be viewed as unprofessional.
To understand Black American culture, you have to go back to the beginning. It’s not just hair. It’s culture, tradition and a way of life. Braids are identity, history and resilience woven together.
Recognizing understanding and supporting protectors like the CROWN Act gets us one step closer to a new world where Black culture is appreciated, not appropriated.
