Black Hairstyles Text Set (Includes Videos by Chris Rock, Others)1

Black Hairstyles Text Set (includes videos by Chris Rock, others)1

Black female soldiers say

new grooming reg is 'racially biased'

By Michelle Tan
Staff writer, Army Times

Mar. 31, 2014

Thousands of soldiers and others have signed a White House petition calling for the president to order the Army to reconsider just-released appearance and grooming regulations they contend are “racially biased” against black women.

The update to Army Regulation 670-1 was published in March 2014, and among the rules are clarifications for Army-appropriate hairstyles. For example, the Army does not allow twists or multiple braids that are bigger than a quarter of an inch in diameter. The reg also bans dreadlocks of any style, and cornrows must be uniform and no bigger than a quarter of an inch.

Twists and dreadlocks have been prohibited since 2005, but the regulation at the time did not clearly define the specific hairstyles, Army spokesman Paul Prince said.

The new AR 670-1 clearly defines the different hairstyles and gives soldiers specific guidance on what’s allowed, he said. Leadership training released in mid-March, published before the reg was official, includes photos of a number of unauthorized hairstyles, several of which are popular among black women.

“I’ve been in the military six years, I’ve had my hair natural four years, and it’s never been out of regulation. It’s never interfered with my head gear,” said Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs, of the Georgia National Guard, who wears her hair in two twists.

Jacobs, who started the White House petition, said she’s “kind of at a loss now with what to do with my hair.”

The Army defines “twists” as two distinct strands of hair twisted around one another to create a rope-like appearance.

Jacobs said twists are the go-to style for black female soldiers going to the field because it “makes it easy to take care of in the field,” she said.

Her hair is naturally thick and curly, making it impossible to pull into a bun, Jacobs said.

“Most black women, their hair doesn’t grow straight down, it grows out,” she said. “I’m disappointed to see the Army, rather than inform themselves on how black people wear their hair, they’ve white-washed it all.”

In the White House petition, Jacobs calls on the Army to reconsider changes to AR 670-1.

“Females with natural hair take strides to style their natural hair in a professional manner when necessary; however, changes to AR 670-1 offer little to no options for females with natural hair,” she said in her petition.

The changes are “racially biased, and the lack of regard for ethnic hair is apparent,” she further states.

Staff Sgt. Mary Johnson voiced similar concerns on Sgt. Maj. of the Army Ray Chandler’s Facebook page.

“As far as the twists, that really limits females with curly/kinky hair,” she said. “I can’t simply pull my hair back due to excessive knotting. I proudly wear twists in a professional manner every day and only took them down on the weekends. It makes it very difficult for ethnic females.”

Jacobs said she’ll likely wear a wig to her battle assembly because chemically relaxing her hair or putting it up in corn rows is damaging to her hair.

“I talked to my first sergeant, and he said we would [face non-judicial punishment] if we’re out of reg,” she said. “So I either get a wig or be NJPed, all because of the way my hair grows naturally.”

Jacobs said that before these clarifications, black female soldiers had more hairstyle options while maintaining a professional appearance.

“We feel let down,” Jacobs said. “I think, at the end of the day, a lot of people don’t understand the complexities of natural hair. A lot of people, instead of educating themselves, they think dreadlocks and they think Bob Marley, or they see women with really big Afros and they think that’s the only thing we can do with our hair.”

Prince said hair grooming standards are “necessary to maintain uniformity within a military population.”

“Many hairstyles are acceptable, as long as they are neat and conservative,” he said. “In addition, headgear is expected to fit snugly and comfortably, without bulging or distortion from the intended shape of the headgear and without excessive gaps. Unfortunately, some hairstyles do not meet this standard or others listed in AR 670-1.”

The Opinion Pages|

When Black Hair Is Against the Rules

ByAYANA BYRDandLORI L. THARPS

The New York Times, April 30, 2014

AMERICA has always had trouble with black hair. The United States Army is only the latest in a long line of institutions, corporations and schools to restrict it.On March 31, theArmy released an updated appearance and grooming policy, known asAR 670-1. It applies to all Army personnel, including students at West Point and those serving in the R.O.T.C. and the National Guard.

No distinctions are made for race or ethnicity, only gender, in that the regulations regarding hair are divided between women and men. But it’s not hard to infer that certain sections pertain specifically to black women, since they refer to hairstyles like cornrows, braids, twists and dreadlocks, severely limiting or banning them outright.

While the Army certainly isn’t the first to impose these kinds of prohibitions, it may be the most egregious example, considering that the 26,000 black women affected by AR 670-1 are willing to die for their country. On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagelordered the entire military to review its hairstyle rules, after the women of the Congressional Black Caucus sent him a letter saying that the Army policy’s language was “offensive” and “biased” and strongly urging him to reconsider it. More than 17,000 people signed a petition submitted toWhiteHouse.govasking the Obama administration to review the policy.

The bias against black hair is as old as America itself. In the 18th century, British colonists classified African hair as closer to sheep wool than human hair. Enslaved and free blacks who had less kinky, more European-textured hair and lighter skin — often a result of plantation rape — received better treatment than those with more typically African features.

After Emancipation, straight hair continued to be the required look for access to social and professional opportunities. Most black people internalized the idea that their natural hair was unacceptable, and by the early 20th century wore it in straightened styles often achieved with dangerous chemical processes or hot combs, or they wore wigs.

It wasn’t until the 1960s that the Black Power movement declared that “black is beautiful” — and not least unstraightened natural black hair. Soon the Afro became a popular style, first at protests and political rallies and eventually on celebrities from Pam Grier to Michael Jackson.

But in many settings, black hair was still a battleground. In the 1980s civil rights groups led boycotts against the Hyatt hotel chain after it terminated a black female employee for wearing cornrows. In 1999, couriers for Federal Express were fired for wearing dreadlocks. And this past fall, 7-year-old Tiana Parker was told her dreadlocks violated her elementary school’s dress code in Tulsa, Okla., and 12-year-old Vanessa VanDyke was threatened with expulsion from her private school in Orlando, Fla., because her natural hair was deemed a “distraction.”

If a person doesn’t have black hair, isn’t married to someone with black hair or isn’t raising a child with black hair, this issue may seem like a whole lot of something about nothing. But what these women are demanding is a policy that reflects a basic understanding of black hair. For most black people, hair naturally grows up and out — think of the shape of an Afro — not down. But the Army’s regulations assume that all hair not only grows the same way but can be styled the same way. For example, one permitted hairstyle is a bun. Yet because of the thickness of a lot of black women’s hair, a bun is not always possible unless the hair is put into twists first. But twists and dreadlocks, no matter how narrow and neat, are banned in the policy and labeled “faddish” and “exaggerated.”

Black people around the globe have worn dreadlocks for centuries. They can be easily and neatly worn under a helmet or in a bun. Two-strand twists, a popular option for black female soldiers that look similar to braids but are much easier to style, especially in the field, are versatile and require little maintenance. AR 670-1 does allow women to wear wigs and hair extensions, a suggestion that borders on the ridiculous when considering the time and cost required for upkeep in a salon — let alone in a desert army barracks.

The argument isn’t that the Army does not have the right to enforce a conservative code — this is the Army, after all — but that it must consider the diversity of hair textures. The current policy is the equivalent of a black majority military telling its thousands of white soldiers that they are required to have dreadlocks or Afros.

At a time when the military is trying to attract more women to its ranks — this week, the military’s newspaper, Stars and Stripes, ran a cover story about West Point’s attempt to draw more female cadets — it can’t afford policies that punish those same women for their ethnic features. Secretary Hagel says the military has three months for its review “to ensure standards are fair and respectful.”

Here’s an idea: Why not take a survey of active and retired black servicewomen? Let the courageous women serving our nation contribute to an understanding of what conservative, safe and professional means when it comes to their own hair.

Ayana ByrdandLori L. Tharpsare the authors of “Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America.”

A version of this op-ed appears in print on May 1, 2014, on page A25 of theNew York editionwith the headline: When Black Hair Is Against the Rules.

San Francisco State investigating confrontation over man's dreadlocks

By Hailey Branson-Potts

Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco State Universitysaid Tuesday it was investigating an incident captured on videoin which a black womanconfronted a white man on campus for wearing dreadlocks.

In avideo posted on YouTubeon Monday, the man and woman can be heard arguingin a hallway about his hair.

"You're saying that I can't have a hair style because of your culture? Why?" the man said.

"Because it's my culture," she said.

The man tells her that dreadlocks were part of Egyptian culture and asks her, "Are you Egyptian? Nah, man, you're not." She asked him if he was Egyptian, and he told her no.

"Wait, where's Egypt?" she asked. "Tell me."

He responded: "You know what, girl ... you have no right to tell me what I cannot wear."

In the video, theman tried to walk away, but the woman stopped him, continuing to ask where Egypt was. When he tried to go around her and go up a nearby set of stairs, the woman grabbed his arm, trying to stop him.

"Yo, girl, stop touching me right now," he said. "I don't need your disrespect."

He came down the stairs, and she said, "You put your hands on me, you're going to learn."

When the man walked away, the woman asked a man taking video, "Why are you filming this?" and appears to put her hand in front of the camera.

San Francisco Stateofficials said in a statementthat the confrontation happened on campus Monday and that university police were called to the scene when it happened.

Although the title of the video — which had more than 130,000 views on YouTube on Tuesday —says the woman was a campus employee,university officials said none of the people shown were employed by San Francisco State.

"San Francisco State University promotes the rights of the campus community to engage in free speech, but does not condone behavior that impedes the safety or well-being of others," the university said. "We are taking the matter seriously and will promptly and thoroughly investigate this incident through applicable University channels, including our campus student conduct procedures."

(Text set includes 2 videos, one of the original event, and one of reaction by the man with dreadlocks)

Name: ______Bell: ______

Hair and Freedom

1. Using your opinion, backed with cited evidence and explanations, answer the following prompt in complete sentences. Use MLA-style in-text citation where appropriate:

Is freedom of choice of hairstyle a right (just as Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion are rights)? Should you be allowed to have any hairstyle you want for any reason? Explain why or why not.

Based upon your readings in Raisin in the Sun, the N.Y. Timesand Army Timesarticles about hair in the military,the videos/article about cultural appropriation, and the Chris Rock movie trailer for the film Good Hair, write a response that gives your opinion on the question, backed with evidence from the items (the book, film clips and newspaper articles) and explanations of the evidence. (Hint: Give examples telling when or when not freedom of hairstyle choice should be permitted or denied.)

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