On this episode of Broke-ish, Amber and Erika are discussing a deeply personal, complex topic: Black hair. Specifically, we examine the pressures of respectability, professionalism, and assimilation on our relationship with our hair. Through stories of Black people being banned from graduation ceremonies, losing job opportunities, and facing harassment because of how they choose to wear their hair, this episode dives into both the economic and emotional toll of this especially vicious arm of White Supremacy. As we unpack the unhealthy pathologies and trauma that many of us carry regarding our hair, we hope to reclaim the power, beauty, and freedom to love our entire bodies – head to toe. Tune in to join the conversation!

Homework

1. Subscribe to Black Power Media on YouTube.
2. Watch Our Hair-itage – A Natural Hair Documentary (PBS Version)
3. Watch This is Good Hair, Too: A Black Natural Hair Documentary

Website: https://www.thepeoplesarmy.org/
Twitter: @kalonjichanga
Instagram: @whohetalkingto

Receipts

How Black hair racism affects mental health care
Author:  Amanda Joy Calhoun
Date:  Jan 26, 2022

Feature: The Industry That Black Women Built
Author:  Tamara E. Holmes
Date:  Dec 6, 2020

Black-owned beauty brands and founders breaking billion-dollar barriers
Author:  Melody Myers
Date:  Feb 20, 2021

NATURAL HAIR DISCRIMINATION
Author:  NAACP Legal Defense Fund

The Gorilla Glue Saga, Laid Edges and the Trauma of Black Beauty Standards
Authors:  NICOLE PHILLIP AND JERMELL PRIGEON
Date:  Feb 11, 2021  

The oppressive roots of hair relaxer
Author:  Safiya Bridgewater
Date:  Feb 14, 2011

Texas teen banned by high school from attending graduation after refusing to cut dreadlocks
Author:  Chelsey Cox
Date:  Jan 24, 2020

FLORIDA H.S. APOLOGIZES AFTER TELLING STUDENT TO CUT LOCS FOR GRADUATION
Author:  Ezekiel J. Walker 
Mar 16, 2022

The Ladies of the CROWN Act