Detangling My Hair-itage
Tanesha Young
This paper explains how African American natural hair has been viewed negatively in America. There have been biases that have emerged from this in the form of discrimination. Historical narratives will be used to show how African American natural hair has been misinterpreted and has led to hair discrimination. In this thesis, I will explore recent accounts of natural hair discrimination in the workplace and the laws currently in place to avoid such prejudice. The reason this topic is important to cover is that African American hair is a form of cultural expression. Cultural differences such as hairstyles should not keep someone from employment. Their needs to be an understanding of differences when going into the workplace and how to eliminate those biases. Currently, there are five states that have laws in place to protect against natural hair discrimination in the workplace: California, New York, Virginia, Colorado, and New Jersey. Hopefully, more states will implement laws against natural hair discrimination.
Tanesha Young graduated from Hillcrest High School in Simpsonville. She is currently a senior in sociology.
