Loving your Hair: a deeper look into hair in the black community

Video Credit: FOX 4 Now Florida
Published on February 28, 2020 - Duration: 04:52s

Loving your Hair: a deeper look into hair in the black community

Fox 4's Shari Armstrong & Rochelle Alleyne are taking a deeper look at hair in the black community, what still needs to change when it comes to acceptance, and how it's impacted their careers.


Loving your Hair: a deeper look into hair in the black community

VIRUS..

WE HAVE ALL THE LATESTINFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE...FOX 4 NOW DOT COM.AS BLACK HISTORY MONTH COMES TOA CLOSE -- WE WANTED TO BRINGYOU A STORY THAT IMPACTS WOMENOF COLOR ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY--- INCLUDING RIGHT HERE AT FOX4.WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HAIR -- ANDHOW AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN STYLEIT.FOX 4’S ROCHELLE ALLEYNE ANDSHARI ARMSTRONG SAT DOWN WITHWOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY, TO TALKABOUT HOW CERTAIN HAIRSTYLESHAVE HAD AN IMPACT ON THEIRPROFESSIONAL JOURNEYS, AND WHATTHEY’RE HOPING TO SEE IN THEFUTURE.{PK}"static"ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TURN ONYOUR TV...Erica Cobb "Hair can be sopersonal, especially in theblack community."OR LOG ON TO SOCIAL MED((Keke Palmer))"Braids, weaves, locs, fros, I’mhere wit it!"TO SEE A GROWING CONVERSATIONABOUT BLACK HAIR.AND THE DISCUSSION ABOUT IT --HOW TO DO IT -- AND WHO ISACCEPTING OF IT--IS NOW MAKING IT’S WAY TO OSCARSTAGES --AND STATE LEGISLATIVE CHAMBERS-- WHERE LAWS -- CALLED THE"CROWN ACT" ARE BEING PASSED TOPROTECT AGAINST DISCRIMINATIONOF BLACK HAIR STYLES.((Rochelle Alleyne//Fox 4))((Shari Armstrong//Fox 4))Shari: "In Honor of BlackHistory Month, Fox 4 wanted tojoin in on and further thatconversation."Rochelle: "And we figured one ofthe best places to do that,would be a local black hairsalon."TO START OFF WE DOVE INTO ATOPIC THAT *MANY BLACK WOMENDISCUSS IN THEIR INNER CIRCLES-- NAVIGATING WORK SPACES WITH*WELL-KNOWN "BLACK HAIRSTYLES".((Shari Armstrong//Fox 4))Shari: 1:58:21 When it comes toblack hair, diversity in blackhair in professional settings,where do you guys think we areright now?

2:07:((La Toya Turner//Ascension HairCare))La Toya: 2:30:20 "I had a clientspecifically she was scared togo natural.

She didn’t want togo natural until she retired.And I’m like ’I don’t thinkpeople will care.

But she feltlike she had to wait until shewas out of the work area to beable to wear her own naturalhair.

And I thought that wascrazy." 2:48:13IT MAY SOUND CRAZY -- BUT IT’SALSO VERY REANADEGE PIERRE IS A COMMUNITYRELATIONS SPECIALIST --SHE WEARSSISTER LOCS - A TRADEMARK STYLEOF LOCKING STRANDS OF NATURALHAIR.WHILE THE RESPONSE FROMSOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAS BEENAMAZING --((Nadege Pierre//CommunityRelations Coordinator for LeeCounty Tax Collector’s Office))Nadege: 12:17:16 "Verywelcoming.

Very like ’oh yourhair is so beautiful.

Oh mygoodness it goes with yourface.’ I haven’t had anyonereally say like ’oh, like I wishyou would have straight hair.Um, no." 12:30:00SHE ALSO SAYS THAT SOCIETALNORMS *DEFINITELY PLAYED A ROLEIN HER DECISION TO GET THOSE*SMALLER SISTER LOCS INSTEAD OFTRADITIONAL DREAD LOCS A FEWYEARS AGO.((Nadege Pierre//CommunityRelations Coordinator for LeeCounty Tax Collector’s Office))9:00 I did weigh out thetraditional thicker dreads overthe sister locs and I did makethe decision because I did feellike these were more acceptablein the work environment, justbecause of what the bigger locssometimes represent to thecommunity and in the community.So I did decide to go with thesejust for the ease oftransferring to jobs and theease of just living my everydaylife in Southwest Florida andnot worrying that I’m beingjudged because I am wearing acertain type of hair so I didmake that decision for that.9:20AS JOURNALISTS ON AIR -- BOTHSHARI AND I HAVE ALSO FACED THISPRESSURE.((Rochelle Alleyne))18:13:15 "Coming into thebusiness...I got a lot of pushback.

Basically being told whitepeople, white audiences won’tunderstand it.

’So juststraighten your hair.

You knowkinda keep your head down untilyou get to a bigger city.

It’smore diverse, then be who youare.

And I just felt like thatwas crazy."{transitio}((Shari Armstrong//Fox 4))15:48:00 "I was really nervousabout making the decision tochange my hair, to get braidsbecause growing up here, I loveSouthwest Florida, but I neversaw a black woman on TV withbraids, that’s just the realityof it..."{butted t}"But, I’m really proud to workfor a company that’s open tobeing like ’Try it, do it.

Yeah,do it."ONE THING ALL FIVE OF US COULDAGREE ON -- IS THAT THECONVERSATION *IS MOVING FORWARD.BUT TO KEEP IT GOING --THE WOMENWE SPOKE TO SAY THERE NEEDS TOBE MORE REPRESENTATION IN MEDIA-- AND AN INSTILLING OFSELF-ACCEPTANCE IN THE NEXTGENERATION.((Shari Armstrong//Fox 4))23:44:06" What are you tellingyour kids about their hair?"((Andrene "Marshy" Reid//Royalty Beauty Salon))24:07:26 So for my daughter andwith the society around...I lether know that it is okay toyou.

Every time I do her, Ibraid her hair.

And if she wantsher to be up, I put it up.

Istill don’t take her away fromherself.

I make her be herself,but I still show her it’s okayto be you.

It’s okay to be you.You don’t have to be anyoneelse.{butted t}((Nadege Pierre//CommunityRelations Coordinator for LeeCounty Tax Collector’s Office))25:48:25 "I promote the naturalhair.

I read ’I Love My Hair’.All kinds of little black girlbooks that promote love for yourhair because I feel like that’ssomething that I lacked growiup is the love for my own hair.IN FORT MYERS, ROCHELLE ALLEYNE,FOX 4, IYC.ONE OF THE REASONS WE FELT ITWAS SO IMPORTANT TO TELL THISSTORY - IS BECAUSE THE PRESSURETO CONFORM TO -QUOTE-"APPROPRIATE" OR "PROFESSI

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