II of VI
In my particular case, I was never truly cared for in general, but especially in the context of my hair. No one took the time to learn about my hair or get me resources. Yes this was back when the internet was still not super popular; especially with the people attempting to raise me due to their age. However, we do have to ask ourselves why these two white women assumed there were only truly two options for Black hair. They assumed either natural but covered or straightened were the only two options. And there is so much more to my hair than that.
Foster care aside; I do feel that the older generations (Black and white) are still very steadfast in their attitudes toward using wigs or chemical straighteners to coax afro hair to look a specific way. “…if we want to ‘pull ourselves up by our bootstraps’ we should do everything we can within our control to seem presentable: which means skipping gym class or sports, pressing, chemically treating, and ‘taming’ our hair. A true mind game that always keeps us running short of being the best we can be as a person because we will never be good enough in that race.”3 An excerpt from my Black Hair in Climbing series.
And where did this idea come from? Chattel slavery, of course! When I say almost every racial practice in the United States stems from slavery practices of Black people, I am not making an exaggeration. Being enslaved and its implications is a mind contortion all in and of itself that teaches self hate which ripples destructively through generations. It has always, per usual, been driven by policy…
Read/watch/listen to the rest of this journey on my Substack
