Dear Corporate America,
I am writing this to explain my fear for my future as an African-American women wearing my natural hair in the job world. I feel as though by the time I am ready and able to enter into the work field, people of my hair type will not be accepted, because of the simple opinion that we look “disheveled.”
I am writing this to explain my fear for my future as an African-American women wearing my natural hair in the job world. I feel as though by the time I am ready and able to enter into the work field, people of my hair type will not be accepted, because of the simple opinion that we look “disheveled.”
I’m sure the world is aware of the growth of African-American women who’ve chosen to go natural. With this progress, I am failing to see how wearing our hair in its natural state causes a problem by denying us advancements in jobs and employment. Please, hear me out, I do understand that certain businesses have dress codes and requests, but I would have never thought of being denied advancements in my life and career, because I choose to wear my hair in the manner in which it grows.
It infuriates me on the outside that this debate is still trending in this time and era. It makes me feel as a reject and shattered inside. Every once in a while there’s a news report about natural hair not being accepted or looked over as being just as beautiful as straight hair, and every single time I hear about natural hair being described as “unprofessional” it’s by someone who you would think, but doesn’t know better. It’s all so tiring and worn-out. But it continues to happen.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that my actual problem, is that I've never thought of my hair as a problem, in the first place, hence the reason, I’ve chosen to write. I've never considered it as a major issue to hold back one’s employment based on appearance as a professional. I always considered the work force to be a place where you let one’s qualifications speak for them instead of their hair. The point of an interview is to let your qualifications shine, not your hair gel. People who wear their natural hair agree that if their hair is neat and professional, it should not be a problem, and that choosing to wear their natural hair does not affect their work skills or ability to work.
In the 1800′s and early 1900′s nappy, kinky, curly, hair was considered inferior, ugly, and unkempt in comparison to the silky, smooth straight hair of other cultures. There were comic strips of Blacks that surfaced during the era in movies, children’s books, and food products were commonplace and they taught Blacks and Whites alike to dislike the appearance of Black hair and to associate it with filthiness, unruliness and even character traits like improper.
The texture of our hair was the only thing that we could drastically change (during that time) about our appearance to escape those negative associations and making that change was encouraged as Blacks who straightened their hair were referred to as being more likable and responsible by Whites; it even went as far as to say they were more employable. Allowing an unfairness like this to go free is negative to business, as hair texture has no connection to talent or ability. An inability to grow past things of no importance like this makes a company less competitive.
This is where diversity management comes into play. Companies that move past bias and hire, mentor and promote equitability have better talent. They are also better prepared for the future as our country becomes more diversified. Diversity Inc. Top 50 data proves that representation is tied to employment and retaining. This isn’t just an idea; it’s the truth for companies that earn a spot on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity. Diversity Inc Top 50 companies have up to twice as much representation of other races, such as Black, Latino and Asian people in management than the overall management work force in the United States.
If every job today would reinforce these ideas about natural hair, then we wouldn’t have: Ursula Burns, Ivy Grant and Paula Madison in the world today. They’re African American women in C-suites positions proudly wearing their natural hair. So, by companies denying these men and women opportunities solely on their hair, then they are denying themselves the option of greatness. |
Don’t let your opinions deny you, your millions. “Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be”
Jasmine Demi Williams
Jasmine Demi Williams