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Bryauna Kralik UNIV 200 13 March 2017

The Evolution and Symbolism of Black Hair

Inquiry Intention In thinking of a topic to research, I struggled to find a topic that I actually cared about enough to spend a whole semester researching. I then recalled a recent experience I had at Hair Cuttery, where I asked the hairstylist if she specialized in doing African American hair...her answer was, “of course, I have curly haired clients all of the time.” I decided to give her a chance at attacking the curly beast on my head (my hair). She failed. This particular incident caused me to reflect on the importance of hair in the African American community and its history. The natural hair texture of Africans is not considered “neat,” and many African American girls were raised and taught by their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, etc. to believe that the only way they would be accepted into society is by placing box perms in their hair, which are extremely harsh chemicals that ultimately ruin the person’s natural texture by straightening it. By doing this, the girls were seen as “presentable” for everyday tasks. I chose this topic because it has so many complex layers, and I would like to look at the issue through the lens of a historical standpoint. As simple as the topic of hair may seem, hair is quite an important topic in the African American community. Hair is not just hair, but it is what connects to ​ their ancestry. In researching the evolution of hair’s meaning to the black community, I would like to take a chronological approach...from the sacred meaning of hair implied in the Bible (Samson and Delilah), to the , arrival of the first African in America (shaving of the head), to the Civil Rights Movement (Black Power, ).

Inquiry Questions 1. Thus, I plan to study the historical context of African hair to find out its importance to the ​ ​ ​ African American community. ​ 2. Thus, I plan to study the historical context of African hair to trace its evolution and ​ ​ connection to today’s trends in society. 3. I plan to study the evolution of African hair to find out how history has played a role in ​ ​ ​ its importance to the African American community. ​

Develop Your Working Knowledge Source 1: The Natural Hair Movement: A Historical Perspective This article traces the representation of natural hair back to the slave trade era. The origin of the word “nappy,” which is often used to describe the texture of African American hair, is

Kralik 2 discussed and connected back to cotton picking. The author of this article goes on to discuss the power dynamics between the master’s hair and slaves hair. Because Caucasian hair is generally straight (or a lot less kinky than African hair), it became acceptable for African hair to be labeled as undesirable. Being that many masters looked at slaves as low as livestock, it made sense for the only acceptable form of hair texture to be seen as straight.

Source 2: Fashion Statement or Political Statement: The Use of Fashion to Express ​ during the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements of the 1960’s I chose to include this source because it analyzes the different methods used during the Civil Rights Movement in order to convey “black pride.” This source provides very strong points about the use of the during this time period and how it was initially looked upon. This source is key to forming an argument, and I like the fact that the source stated wearing their natural hair gave black women “confidence and security in being themselves.”

Source 3: Nap Time: Historicizing the Afro ​

This source agrees with my position to assess the history of African hair in order to better understand its role in today’s society. The Afro, which the source focuses on, was often linked to the “militancy” of the Black Panther Party. The source traces the evolution of black hair and includes narratives of women who were advocates of wearing one’s natural hair texture. I chose to include this source because it is closely related to the new direction I have decided to pursue in relation to my topic. I was happy to see that my thought process is reflected in this source, and I believe it will strengthen my argument.

Questions 1. How were the natural features of Africans erased to fit European standards of beauty? 2. How is the importance of hair to the African American community connected to the sacred meaning of hair? 3. How is the sacredness of hair closely related to cultural aspects (example: religion)? 4. What were the first occurrences of the persecution/downfall of African natural hair? 5. How is the choice of how one wears their hair connected to the events of the Civil Rights Movement (example: Black Panther Party)? 6. Why did the “groovy” trend of African hairstyles take off in the 80s? 7. How can the wearing of weave (from other humans and animals) be connected to the 80s? 8. What does hair culturally symbolize for people of African descent? 9. How does the history of African people connect to the choice of how descendants wear their hair? 10. How do notions of beauty start in the home for the African American community?

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Conclusion I ultimately chose this topic not only due to personal experiences, but because a topic that would seem simple is really not. There are so many complex layers of exploring natural hair’s place in our society. Because there are so many varying layers in the subject, I am excited about challenging myself and looking in-depth at the history of African hair in order to get to the “root” of the issue (no pun intended). The growing presence of natural hair in today’s world is more than just sporting a look, but represents the embracing of one’s culture and ancestry. Many of the obstacles faced by natural-hair-wearing women in the workplace and beyond is caused by the lack of understanding by majority of people. African Americans are obviously not the majority in America, and those who typically run corporate businesses are Caucasian. The fact of the matter is, corporations and businesses are so stuck on appearances and what they believe to be acceptable to the point where they fail to remind themselves that African Americans cannot control the texture of the hair growing from their head...it is impossible. In turn, African Americans are made to believe that their natural appearance is unprofessional, and they turn to the “creamy crack,” also known as perms.