I am not going to lie. I felt a little anxiety when my wife finally decided to take the plunge and “go natural” by enlisting me to do her “big chop”, which meant to cut off most of her hair.  The “big chop” is the most radical way to “go natural” because as opposed to waiting for your chemically treated hair to grow out over time, you just cut it off, most times leaving the woman with a teeny weenie afro (TWA).

My wife probably went months researching what some black women have come to refer to as the Natural Hair Movement before deciding that she wanted to wear her natural hair.  For many weeks I was an unwilling participant in her studies about the benefits of natural hair.  I wasn’t reluctant to the idea of natural hair because I didn’t believe in it, I was uninterested because I was a man who basically could care less about the beauty tips of women (including, hair, make-up, shoes, etc.).  Night after night, I would be drafted into “conversations” about big chops, TWAs, sister locks, shea butter, castor oil, etc.  My wife would say “Honey, come and look at this [blah blah blah]…” as she enlisted me in watching Youtube, which is perhaps the greatest source of information and inspiration regarding the Natural Hair Movement.  If I didn’t learn anything else from my wife’s obsession—or, at least, preoccupation—with the movement, I learned that two women, RusticBeauty and BlackOnyx77 (as named on Youtube) are major players within the Natural Hair Movement.  Of course there are many others, but Rustic Beauty and Black Onyx are forever burned into my memory, as they are a major source of my wife’s inspiration.  Moreover, their Youtube channels have thousands of followers.

I think that it’s great that many women like my wife, Black Onyx and Rustic Beauty have come to embrace their natural hair.  Many black women have finally come to the realization that chemicals and excessive amounts of heat are just plain bad for their hair, and science proves this realization out. But, yet and still, millions of black women continue to damage their hair each and every day, mainly in the name of “looking good”.  Moreover, hair tracks and weave—which perhaps do less damage than harsh chemicals—are used just as gratuitously as relaxers and other chemical treatments because millions of black women believe that it truly does enhance their beauty.  These same black women are supported in their opinion by millions of black men who subconsciously or consciously flock to women who would rather damage their hair and/or wear fake hair, all in the name of some perceived sense of beauty or style.

Since becoming aware of the ill effects caused to a women’s hair by chemicals and, to a lesser extent, weave, I can’t help but ponder why millions of black women would treat their hair (and by extension, their bodies) so badly, in light of the negative consequences.  Yes, I have contemplated this seeming “problem” long and hard, and I have come up with one conclusion: Most of these women have been so bombarded with white, Eurocentric standards of beauty for so long, and as a matter of course, that on some level they (and their significant others) hate themselves—or, at the very least, fail to appreciate the beauty of their God-given natural hair.  And, I’ll even take it a step further: Not only do many of them hate their natural hair, but it’s very possible that they hate their big noses, thick lips, and dark skin, all because they have been “whitewashed” in a society where blonde hair and blue eyes (etc.) are put upon the pedestal as the epitome of beauty.  Furthermore, delving deeper into historical contexts, many elements of white society in general have had the audacity to “tell” these women that ethnic characteristics of black people are unacceptable (i.e., ugly), and millions of black people have subconsciously accepted this lie to be true.

From the images of the old minstrel shows, to the black savages running around in the Jungle on the 1950s show, Tarzan, to Bucwheat on the Little Rascals, etc., blacks have been subconsciously taught that certain physical characteristics are to be looked upon with disdain and/or manipulated to be used as the object of comedy and entertainment.  This fact, along with the constant bombardment of white, Eurocentric beauty on television, magazine covers, and within the fashion industry—from Paris to Los Angeles—have really had a detrimental effect on black self-esteem (and on black women, in particular).

Now, to be sure, I am not saying that women like Brooke Shields, Sandra Bullock, and Gwyneth Paltrow aren’t pleasing to the eye, but so are women like India Arie, Vanessa A. Williams, and Tracy Chapman.  If many whites can’t see the beauty in these women, then that’s their problem. But, if many blacks can’t see the beauty in these women, then this situation becomes more personal, and is perhaps a reflection of living in a society where whites are highly esteemed, and where this same society has historically viewed blacks with a certain amount of distaste.

History has had a devastating effect on the psyche of black America, and now it’s time for blacks to reprogram their minds and baptize their spirits of all such self-hate and disdain for their own ethnic attributes, and appreciate black beauty for what it is: beautiful.

The Natural Hair Movement, in my mind, is positive change in the correct direction of self-actualization and self-definition for black people.  The Natural Hair Movement may have began with hair, but, like I have alluded to, it is also about black education in general. Even a strong black man like myself still had a little anxiety at the thought of my wife going natural, so I hate to think about all the black people who are not as mentally strong enough to overcome conscious and subconscious cultural brainwashing.

But let’s not get it twisted, I had a passing thought of anxiety which may have been based on values of Euro-centric standards of beauty, but the lion’s share of my reluctance had more to do with me cutting my wife’s hair and her reaction. In my opinion, she should have gone to a salon or barber.  Ultimately, all turned out well.  I didn’t do half bad at my first real stint as a barber, and my wife embraced her big chop, unlike so many other black women. I embraced my big chop, as well—got back to my roots (pun intended).  My big chop wasn’t about hair though, it was about cutting all of the ill effects of living in a society where  whites have historically oppressed black people and, by extension, tried to define who we are by ultimately forcing their standards of what is right and acceptable upon us (even when they have been morally or ethically wrong).

Now to be fair, there are probably some black women, somewhere, who just don’t like the texture of their natural hair, ostensibly because it doesn’t look good. That’s their story, and they have a right to it.  But, if these black women exist, I still have an extremely difficult time believing that these women are not influenced by Eurocentric standards of beauty that assault them everyday.  They would rather damage their hair, roots and edges with chemicals and/or weave, than to let their God-given hair flourish.  To me, there is something very wrong with that picture.  Moreover, many, if not most, women in the Natural Hair Movement don’t even consider themselves as making any kind of political statement, or don’t like the fact that just because they wear an afro that they are perceived as making any kind of statement (particularly when other women in different ethnic groups aren’t burdened with such responsibility for wearing their natural hair).  Well, to me, that’s just one of the costs of being black, especially in America.  You can either accept the reality of extra baggage and burdens with a sigh, and be aware and understanding; a gritting of the teeth, and be a warrior; with a gaze of bewilderment, and be ignorant; or, with an expressionless stare, and be apathetic.

At the end of the day, everyone has the right to choose their own hairstyle, even to their health’s detriment, in the name of perceived beauty. But why would someone want to compromise their health?  Furthermore, because of my indirect association with the Natural Hair Movement, I have become all the more aware of weak hair, split ends, receding hairlines, heat damaged hair, tracks, weave and wigs.  To me, it seems ironic that some of the things that black women do to make their hair more appealing has become a sore spot for my already skeptical eyes.  It really has.  The difference between the usually short, ailing, thin, chemically treated hair and the thick, healthy, vibrant afro, locks, braids or twists of a black woman who has gone natural is quite noticeable.  Moreover, wigs and weave have become kind of weird and odd looking to me.  After being passively educated by the Natural Hair Movement, I just can’t help these feelings.  Granted, I have been called a radical and a militant before, so it’s not a stretch that I would be labeled what some in the Natural Hair Movement call a “hair Nazi” (which is really a politically incorrect term used as a facade to circumvent addressing genuine issues), but I don’t purposefully go searching for black women whose hair stands out, in my mind, for all the wrong reasons.

When I learned of stories about beautiful black women who have become the targets of disdain as a result of remarks and/or rejection by their boyfriends, husbands, fathers, sisters, and even their own mothers, I was fascinated by the degree of ignorance that pervades the black community—from the young to the old.  Plenty of women in the Natural Hair Movement have tales that truly make me feel ashamed.  And, speaking of shame, there is no shame in embracing that which God blessed you to have.  Black hair is the only hair of its kind on the planet.  The closest thing in appearance to black hair is probably lambs’ wool. In the Holy Bible, lamb’s wool was attributed to Jesus (whether the language was literal or figurative), so this is perhaps more of a reason as to why blacks should not be ashamed of their natural hair texture.  Black hair is truly special. So, I am wondering, what is so unacceptable about the natural texture of black hair?  What is so wrong with big noses and thick lips?  What is so wrong with the darkest of skin?  These are ethnic traits to be embraced and admired.  Euro-centricity has its place, but so do Afro-centric characteristics. Many look at self-acceptance and self-realization, especially in this instance, as no big deal, but a war in Rwanda—genocide in Rwanda—had its origins over similar issues.  At this writing, Kenya still doesn’t permit its members of parliament to wear traditional African attire in their chamber, somehow thinking that the dress brought to them by European colonial imperialists is more acceptable.  I was also surprised to find out that dreadlocks were once prohibited in certain areas of the Virgin Islands.  Moreover, I recently became aware that some Asians are going to extremes, getting eye surgery to make their eyes less slanted. Unbelievable!  What a race of people won’t do to fall in line with Eurocentric standards of beauty and acceptance.

Like I alluded to before, women like Halle Berry and Tyra Banks are beautiful women.  I’d be lying if I said otherwise, but so are the Williams sisters who have undeniably strong Negroid features.  The thing is, in my humble opinion, Venus and Serena Williams would be all the more beautiful if they embraced their own natural hair.  Just imagine Venus and Serena destroying the competition in vibrant, full sister locks, or even simple braids.  Just think of the statement that they would make by showcasing a “twist-out”, “wash and wear”, or just a simple afro.  The world may not be ready for that, but I believe that black America is ready.

Women like my wife—like Black Onyx and Rustic Beauty—are leading the charge.  Eventually the natural beauty of their natural hair will be too much to resist for those who turn a blind eye to the destruction of their natural hair.  My wife embraces her self-proclaimed “nappy” hair, and she has “straightened me out” on the use of the term, “nappy”, choosing to view it as a positive term that is unique to unique, black hair.  The acceptance of the term “nappy” by many (but not all) black women, in my mind, is one of the many positive byproducts of the Natural Hair Movement, which again is causing a resurgence of self-definition and self-actualization for black people.  Thanks to women in the Natural Hair Movement, I suspect that one day it will not be such a novelty to see black women with twists that are so full, shiny and vibrant that people will ponder as to whether it’s even real hair.  Thanks to many women in the Natural Hair Movement, I predict that countless numbers of black women will finally learn to accept and appreciate the total beauty of the natural black woman.  Thanks to modern pioneers within the Natural Hair Movement, one day, some of the women who have dared do a big chop and/or go natural will not be compelled or embarrassed to abruptly end their own natural hair journey—or at least attempt to mask or hide their short “fros” with wigs, weaves and scarves—because of consternation from their mothers and grandmothers, or anyone else.  Perhaps, one day, The Natural Hair Movement will cause even some “naturals”, themselves—much less those who aren’t—to stop insinuating that the afro is somehow the most inferior style of natural hair (when, in my opinion, it is the capstone of all that the Natural Hair Movement represents).

Now, again, I will say that black women (like all people) have a right to do whatever they want to with their hair, including damaging it, in order to fulfill their own standards of beauty. I get that.  Women of other races will sometimes surprise people with dreadlocks, cornrows, and even sister locks. Women of other races get their occasional collagen treatments to make their lips thicker, or even butt implants to make their behinds larger, but I really don’t see these unnatural changes occurring to the extent that I see black women chemically altering the texture of their natural hair, and/or wearing all kinds of weave and wigs (which in many cases just looks plain bad).  But, appearance aside, chemicals (and to a lesser extent, weave) are damaging to the health of the black woman’s hair, and that’s my biggest point of contention with most black women and their hair.  Of course more than a few women of all races have opted for breast implants, which I am fundamentally against as well, but even this pales in comparison to the numbers of black women that use relaxers.  The only thing that I can really liken it to is how many whites will recklessly damage their skin by using and abusing tanning salons, but the big difference is that white skin has never really been the object of discrimination or disdain in America (or most countries for that matter). Furthermore, you don’t see nearly as many whites with tanned skin as you do black women with treated hair.  But the tide is very slowly turning.

The Natural Hair Movement is causing black women all over America to rethink their hair.  I am not sure, but I would think that Youtube is allowing the Natural Hair Movement to have an impact from the West Indies to Africa.  Yes, believe it or not, many African women relax their hair, and use weave also.  Thankfully, there are women in the Natural Hair Movement who have overcome their desire—even if it is only by default—for Eurocentric looking hair, to the detriment of their own natural black hair.  In my opinion, these women should be praised for their desire and determination to be natural, in a world that has often attempted to cast negativity upon that which God gave them.

I am sure that most people have heard the phrase: Black is beautiful!  The saying has its origins during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, where black Americans were aggressively fighting racism and discrimination, stemming the history of oppression against them, coming out of their shells, and boldly defining themselves.  It is in this same spirit that I proclaim today that, “black natural hair is beautiful!”

Read the poem inspired by this piece, More Than About Black Hair

An editorial entitled “Always Flunking Race 101” was written some years ago by black columnist, William Raspberry, of the Washington Post Writer’s Group.  As a teenager growing up in the 1980s, I thought Raspberry’s columns were interesting and on the cutting edge for the times.

As I matured and lost myself within college life, I lost touch with Raspberry’s writings.   As a grown man in this new millennium, I came upon Raspberry’s column and decided to read it. The title was an attention grabber, but I was truly taken aback when I read the first two paragraphs, the first which said:

“Kermit the frog used to remind us: It’s not easy being green. Is that ‘Sesame Street’ Muppet still around? If so, he might want to have a go at a new lyric: It’s not easy being white. I don’t speak from experience, of course. I’m just trying to guess how it must feel to be eternally blamed for anything that goes wrong, particularly on the racial front, and to get credit for nothing that goes well.”

Raspberry then makes reference to a news report that the New Black Panther Party is likening Bill Clinton’s moving into Harlem as the beginning of a “white takeover of black Harlem.” Rightly, or wrongly, the New Black Panther Party sees Clinton’s moving into Harlem as a red flag for re-gentrification.   Raspberry then says, “See what I mean?   If whites abandon our neighborhoods, we say they are segregationists who want us confined to the ghetto.   If they move in, we say they’re taking over.  What’s a poor white guy to do?”

Now, years later, I am still trying to figure out the motive for Raspberry’s editorial.  What was he trying to achieve?  If he were trying to personify the term, “Uncle Tom,” I would say that he is headed in the right direction.   To say that it isn’t easy being white is somewhat ludicrous to me.   I mean, is it really hard to be successful in America as a white person, when white people hold the vast majority of positions of influence in business, government, and the judiciary? Research the racial makeup of Congress, the upper management of the Fortune 100, and federal judges.  Then, just for fun, look up the racial makeup of the prison population. Study the demographics of not only the urban ghetto, but also the poor rural areas of America.

In my opinion, many white people could ultimately care less if a black person criticizes them for being segregationist.   They discount the fact that many blacks blame them for not truly addressing the many injustices and inequities that exist within the black community.  If whites were really listening, then there would not be such a big (and still growing) racial divide within America today—not only socially, but economically as well.   Who cares if another black “radical” accuses whites of using Machiavellian tactics to oppress blacks?

This leads me to my second point, which is how Raspberry can take an opinion from the New Black Panther Party and insinuate that it is the opinion of the black mainstream.  Now that whites have read his editorial, I am sure that they will believe that most blacks feel that there is a white conspiracy to take over Harlem.   The truth is that there are areas, including Harlem, that whites are beginning to take back.   For example, in my North Carolina hometown, Raleigh, many whites are migrating to an historic black area called Oberlin.   Oberlin, which was predominately black, and was made “historic” by the white establishment is within a walk of downtown.   Basically the same exact thing has happened in my wife’s childhood neighborhood in Asheville.  Is this a coincidence, or is it re-gentrification? Now, I wouldn’t necessarily say that there is a white conspiracy to move blacks out of these neighborhoods, but there is definitely a pattern forming.  Moreover, many whites have realized that the same areas that they corralled blacks into during the last century are actually prime real estate.   So, like many beneficial things in life, whites will find a way to exploit the situation by using their economic and political influence to uproot the disadvantaged (whether these people are black, Hispanic, or white).   So, unlike the New Black Panther Party which arguably only sees things in black and white,  I believe that this re-gentrification is as much about the rich exploiting the poor.   Not to say that the New Black Panthers are totally off base with their assertions, but if Raspberry wants to manipulate a quote as the majority opinion of black people, then he needs to use an organization that is not so unpalatable to the American mainstream.

Basically, I am just trying to understand Raspberry’s reasons and rationale for writing the editorial.  It is ludicrous to think that a black man in America feels the need to illicit sympathy for white people, when many whites could care less about what other ethnic groups think about them anyway.   All they know is that they are the ones in power, and they are going to pass the laws that keep them in power—if not get them more power.   I am sure that many whites got a good chuckle—tongue in cheek—and a few “amens” while reading Raspberry’s editorial during their breakfast of tea and crumpets.   Perhaps a few blacks choked on their brains and eggs before asking incredulously, “Can you believe this guy?”  In my opinion, the number of whites that are “always flunking Race 101,” do so because they repeatedly fail to realize the first human, moral and spiritual truth:  All men are created equal.  If Raspberry feels the need to write on racial matters, it seems to me that he could think of something a little more “real” to push upon the American psyche.

I say, hey, dear Mother Africa,
Sing your sad, sad song.
Tell them how you gave them life
And how they do you wrong.

Tell them, Mother Africa.
Tell them, sweet mother of all.
If given the truth again and again,
Maybe they’ll hear your call.

Your lighter children left the cradle.
They journeyed far and wide.
But your darker sons and daughters
Stood proudly by your side.

Their appreciation of life
Was one of humble sophistication.
The fragile beauty of the land
Complimented the wisest of civilizations.

The natives cultivated the land,
And, likewise cultivated their minds.
Many of the diverse cultures
Were artistic, skilled and refined.

Yes, dear Mother Africa,
Sing your tune of irony.
It’s funny to be called “noble savages.”
When you’re the epitome of humanity.

Tell them, Mother Africa:
While the natives were clothed like men,
Their white brothers were still living in caves
And running around in animal skins.

But that is just one example.
There are hundreds of comparisons.
There is much more to be learned of Africa
And the story of her sons.

Sing on, child of genesis.
Sing your sad, sad song.
Tell them how you gave them life,
And how they do you wrong.

Eventually the barbarians returned,
Beating down the ocean with ominous ships.
They came with savagery in their hearts,
And guns on their hips.

Yes, oh Mother Africa,
Tell your woeful tale.
Reveal how they raped your lands
Of gold, and diamonds as well.

They did not even realize
That they were robbing their original mother.
But the greatest tragedy of all,
Was how they treated their darker brothers.

You tell them, Mother Africa—
How they put the natives in chains—
How they forced different peoples to foreign lands.
The treatment was quite inhumane.

Let them know, dear Mother Africa—
How they broke up families—
How they broke the spirit of a man,
Robbing him of humanity.

Tell them, Mother Africa!
Spare no mercy! Reveal their sins!
Tell how women and children were raped
By the brutal and cruel white men.

 
Many are so ignorant,
They don’t even realize their brothers’ resentment.
Many are oblivious to the tale
That underlies the feelings of discontent.

Many would like to hide the guilt
With a plea of innocence.
Others attempt to veil the deceit
With a facade of ignorance.

Sing, oh Mother Africa!
Sing, again and again!
Tell your white sons to scrutinize history
And truly make amends.

Tell them that they have faltered
With the stonewalling and half solutions.
In order for this country to survive,
There must be understanding and complete conclusions.

So sing, dear Mother Africa.
Sing your sad, sad song.
Tell them how you gave them life,
And how they do you wrong.