00:00Black hair discrimination is a thing.
00:02Let me get this all the way straight,
00:04unlike my natural hair, which is underneath this,
00:06but I digress.
00:07New York City recently amended a human rights law
00:10for those who discriminate against the hair
00:12that naturally grows out of black people's stouts
00:15in 2019, as in this year.
00:17If you don't understand why black hair discrimination
00:19is a problem, allow me to over-explain it to you.
00:25Black people's hair has always been a war zone.
00:27Whether it's been touched by unwanted hands
00:29or rejected by employers, schools, or complete strangers,
00:33black hair follicles is tired, boss.
00:36But luckily, New York City's black hair follicles
00:38can relax a bit.
00:39Apparently, the New York City Commission on Human Rights
00:42released an enforcement guidance on race discrimination
00:46on the basis of hair, which basically means
00:49stop being racist about my black hair,
00:52but only in New York, so don't get crazy.
00:54I guess change gotta start somewhere.
00:55Can we just take a moment and sit in the fact
00:57that it's 2019 and this law just happened?
00:59Not to mention, we've got 49 more states
01:02who need to follow suit.
01:03The amended guidelines state the following.
01:05Bans or restrictions on natural hair or hairstyles
01:08associated with black people are often rooted
01:11in white standards of appearance
01:13and perpetuate racist stereotypes that black hairstyles
01:16are unprofessional, period.
01:19I added the period.
01:20So yes, discriminating, hating, or targeting anyone
01:23for their hair can be punishable by steep fines,
01:26like $250,000 steep.
01:28Get your reparations where you can, sis.
01:30The amendment to the New York City Human Rights Law
01:33needed to be created because racism.
01:35Let me be specific.
01:36This law was amended to prevent anti-black racism.
01:40Maybe even to prevent things like this from happening.
01:43This moment of humiliation.
01:45The racist beliefs behind black hairstyles,
01:47whether natural or enhanced,
01:49often lead to non-black critics claiming said hair
01:52is messy, a distraction, unprofessional, or unclean.
01:56This is the reason why the Commission
01:58for New York City Human Rights had to add this.
02:01For black people, this includes the right
02:03to maintain natural hair, treated or untreated styles
02:06such as locks, cornrows, twists, braids, bantu knots, fades,
02:11afros, and or the right to keep hair in an uncut
02:14or untrimmed state.
02:15Oh, we've got the right to wear our natural hair?
02:17Gee, thanks.
02:19Black hair discrimination is obviously still happening,
02:22but that's because the history of this very specific racism
02:25is long and strong.
02:27To say hair was important to the Africans
02:29who survived the callous boat rides to America
02:31is an understatement.
02:32Slavery stole a lot of the pride and significance
02:35of black hair away from black people.
02:38Slaves were often forcefully shaved bald,
02:40which was a visual indicator that you were indeed enslaved
02:43and having their hair taken away, honestly,
02:45robbed them from their culture and identity.
02:47Head wraps were adopted by slaves
02:49to cover their horrific haircuts
02:51and to protect them from lice.
02:52The head wrap was eventually made
02:54into a symbol of inferiority.
02:56Enter the Tian laws of 1786,
02:59AKA the straight up policing of black women's hair.
03:03These laws forced freed and enslaved Creole women
03:05in Louisiana to cover their hair with a knotted headdress
03:09and refrain from adorning their hair with beads, jewels, gems,
03:13all while out in public.
03:15Many slaves added their own twist to the head wraps,
03:18and this allowed them to develop style and even dignity,
03:21because that's what we do.
03:22We will use tools of oppression
03:25as a means of self-expression, like our magic.
03:27And you know where there's a black woman with a sense of pride,
03:30there's power and privilege somewhere nearby, hatin'.
03:33By the time slavery ended,
03:35black women adopted a behavior
03:37of imitating white women's straight hair,
03:39mostly in order to make moves in mainstream,
03:41excuse me, quite America.
03:43And we all know that story because many of us
03:45in this modern day have lived it.
03:47Using chemicals or whatever damaging methods available,
03:50black women sought out straight hair.
03:51This racist ideology that straight hair is more acceptable
03:54and aesthetically pleasing is still in effect to this day.
03:58The Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
04:01gave employers the right to enforce appearance policies
04:04regarding hair.
04:05Basically, it allowed employers to rule
04:08for neutral hairstyles only, no matter the person's race.
04:11Neutral, I bet.
04:12Black school children have constantly faced discrimination
04:15around their hair too.
04:16South Africa's Pretoria Girls High School students
04:18were told to discipline their hair with relaxers.
04:22An 11-year-old New Orleans Catholic student was sent home
04:25because of her braids.
04:26A six-year-old Florida boy was sent home
04:28from his first day of class because of his dreadlocks.
04:31A 17-year-old Florida student was told
04:33that her afro needed to be fixed
04:35and that it was extreme, faddish, and out of control.
04:39This is the hair growing out of these children's scouts
04:42that's being deemed wrong.
04:43In 2014, the United States Army released
04:46an updated appearance and grooming policy
04:49that banned hair that was considered eccentric,
04:52faddish, exaggerated, conservative,
04:55inconspicuous, unsightly, extreme,
04:58and get this, braids and plaits.
05:00And these are people who willingly volunteer their lives
05:04to serve a country that thinks their hair is unacceptable.
05:07Y'all, almost 18% of United States soldiers
05:10in active duty are Black.
05:11What's even more laughable is that this military ruling
05:14for hair allows women to wear wigs and hair extensions.
05:17How crazy is that?
05:18Considering these styles require the type of upkeep
05:22unavailable in barracks or whatever desolate location
05:24they've been sent to.
05:25And you know I ain't taking my good wigs to war.
05:28Thankfully, the Army developed some common sense
05:30and lifted the ban on dreadlocks in 2017,
05:33and the Navy changed theirs in 2018,
05:35allowing women to wear dreadlocks, large buns, braids,
05:38and ponytails.
05:39Don't even get me started on sports.
05:42From ballerinas to ball players,
05:44these same antiquated hair rules apply.
05:46These rules negate understanding Black hair.
05:49In spaces where hair needs to be neat or pulled back
05:52because of the texture of our hair,
05:53sometimes that look is just not achievable
05:56without first twisting or braiding our hair,
05:59which in many cases is already banned.
06:01Black hair is our crowning glory.
06:04And if we're being honest, it's deeper than hair for us.
06:06Black people defending their hair
06:08is like us defending our humanity.
06:10New York City ushering in this new guideline
06:12allows for a consideration of Black hair
06:14that was never available.
06:16It's a consideration of texture, ability, and humanity.
06:20At the end of the day,
06:21everyone just needs to keep Black hair
06:24out of their racist mouths.
06:25And no, you can't touch it.
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