My Hair Does Not Make Me A Criminal
As an African American, I’m always having to deal with people’s pre-conceived notions about who a black person is.
Thanks to the movie and television industries, black people have been, for most of the time, portrayed as a durag-wearing, waves or cornrow-having thug who lives in the ghetto, gangbangs, and sells drugs.
It’s gotten to the point where people look at a black person with a durag on and automatically assume that he’s suspicious, as “he’s got a durag on and probably indulges in crime and gang activity.”
Or, and this also vexes me, that “he must be a rapper, is really good at playing basketball, and has connections to Pop Smoke.”
Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration on the Pop Smoke bit, but you know what I mean. It’s all they see in them, and they clutch their purses tighter as they walk by.
I’m tired of it. Many people are ignorant to the truth and don’t take the time to actually educate themselves. Well, I’ll quickly clear some things up for y’all.
- Most people in the ghetto/“hood” don’t want to be there. Many people actually want to escape this place of violence that was originally designed to discriminate and keep black people from succeeding. Do terms like “white flight” and “redlining” ring a bell?
- The durag protects the hair. The durag is a piece of cloth that is designed to protect the fragile hair that black people have. When hair is braided tightly, wearing a durag protects it and lessens the amount of frizz.
- Cornrows are a type of protective hairstyle. This historical and cultural hairstyle is designed to allow the fragile hair to grow while preventing it from being damaged due to drying, the weather, and other external affects. This style is not for every hair type, though, as the braiding is extremely tight and can lead to long-term hair loss for those whose hair is not for it.
This past year, I’ve been growing an afro, one that I’ve received numerous compliments on, and even a “Most Likely to Get 5 Compliments a Day About His Afro” award. I felt really proud of it and connected to my heritage.
However, when I decided to braid it, I noticed a difference.
People view and treat me differently. Where in the past I’ve gotten smiles and hellos, I now get the size-up look, the squints, and the not-so-subtle yet intentional increasing of distance.
But I’m not who they think I am. I am a respectable gentleman who was raised right (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and is gaining an education, constantly working to improve myself and the community around me.
If all it takes for you to regard someone with suspicion and hostility is a change in hairstyle, then you are the problem.
If you cannot get past your bias and realize that hairstyles can be a sign of one’s culture, then you are the problem.
If you believe that certain hairstyles is a “thug” or “gangster” hairstyle, and believe that those who wear it are ghetto and criminal, then you are the problem.
If you think hairstyles like dreads, passion twists, or cornrows are “unprofessional” because they don’t make you comfortable and believe it to be a mark of criminality, then you are the problem.
Didn’t MLK Jr. say that we weren’t supposed to judge a person based on their looks or skin color, but by the “content of their character?”
Your choice to discriminate because of a stereotype says more about your character than it ever will about mine. Yes, there are thugs who wear cornrows, afros, or twists, but they are still human beings who care for their hair in the way they‘re supposed to.
You choosing to extrapolate and assume all black people who have such a hairstyle are suspicious demonstrates poor logic and an underlying level of ignorance, prejudice, and/or straight up racism.
Don’t expect me to change who I am because you’re uncomfortable and want to project a false reality on me.
My hair does not make me and those like me a criminal.
