Good Hair, Bad Skin
By Ajani Husbands
Kudos to Chris Rock. He’s a beloved entertainer and casual social commentator that has taken the plunge into social documentary, only to be deeply criticized by those who he represents. Chris Rock is Spike Lee, specifically he’s Lee after the unveiling of School Daze. If you don’t remember, Spike Lee was kicked off the campus of Morehouse College midway through the filming of School Daze and had to finish elsewhere. One of the most poignant (controversial?) parts of the film is the Good and Bad Hair song sequence, which had dark and light-skinned Black women in musical opposition to one another: the jigaboos vs. the wannabes.
Spike Lee became a bit of a pariah after School Daze for airing Black laundry in public. No one is supposed to know we have hair issues and skin color issues, but we do, so why not tell the story? Chris Rock reminds us of this in Good Hair, which he lovingly made to cheer up his daughter who already felt the pressure (unfairly) of having her hair represent her identity. Rock’s film could not have come at a better time, premiering just weeks before Sammy Sosa unveiled to the world his own skin issues.
From most of the commentary I have seen so far, Sosa’s lighter, brighter skin is attributed to deep-rooted skin issues in the Dominican Republic. Now, hang on tight, here is a revelation: Sosa’s skin issues are Black, not Dominican. There’s nothing unique about his condition, and by condition I mean the same condition that leads some Black women to want to burn Chris Rock in effigy.
Identity issues are not new in Black America. Most of the ire comes about when these issues are brought to the limelight. No Black person wants the world to know that there are deep divides that still affect our community. At the same time, these divides will remain as long as we attempt to sweep them under the rug.
Movies such as Good Hair should be met with intellectual discussion rather than anger. Similarly, we should address Sosa’s skin issues as a community concern, and not as the eccentric fancy of a Dominican. Passing up these opportunities for open discourse on critical identity issues can and will lead to the mental degeneration and neglect of Black America, as so adequately personified by Soulja Boy’s recent “big ups” to slave masters. To quote him exactly:
“Shout out to the slave masters. Without them, we’d still be in Africa. We wouldn’t be here to get this ice and tattoos.”
Soulja Boy’s comments reflect the lack of open and continuous discourse in the Black community on our identity issues. As much as we hate to be compared to other cultures and social groups, there’s not a Jewish person alive who would thank Hitler or a Native American who would thank Columbus. What prevents other groups from engaging in this sort of destructive self-commentary is a rich public discourse in one’s own community and history. Consider the numerous Holocaust museums, all of superb quality, and the robust Native American oral tradition.
The good news in Black America is that Soulja Boy’s comments will come and go with little spectacle, meaning it is unlikely his views will have the youth running around as slave masters for next year’s Halloween. And while his own popularity will likely wane in the coming years, we nonetheless remain at risk of repeated comments of similar outlandishness as long as we refrain from institutionalized open discussion on our own identity.
December 1st, 2009 at 6:05 am
this is powerful material, that Spike Lee flashback was eye-opening. Unfortunately I dont think the CR movie hit theaters near me so I may have to wait until it hits DVD.
re: progressive, intellectual discourse in our communities, how would you suggest we may prompt these in our own local communities..what platform?
December 1st, 2009 at 11:26 am
Delesobo: excellent question. As always, I would rely on the college/student movement for creating the bulk of positive discussion forums. I would also challenge student groups that would organize such events to think outside the box.
For instance, it’s easy to organize a simple discussion, but take it an extra step and invite a panel to speak. Perhaps a local beauty shop owner could voice her thoughts alongside an Afrocentric store owner. Invite Black women from varying backgrounds to voice their thoughts on hair. Hey, even a spoken word event on Black Hair could kick off some discussion.
On the professional level, I would expect youth organizations (such as NAACP or Urban League youth divisions) to educate the communities about proper hair care and use that as a platform to talk about greater issues of health and self-maintenance.
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:17 am
I am a college senior and felt compelled to join the discussion! So, Dele & Esface’ Black thank you for exposing the issues “under the rug”! I mirror your thoughts about the necessity of discourse surrounding issues of race and identity. At my university I am my student government’s Multicultural Representative and I have found that people are not willing to suffer the discomfort that comes with this type of discourse. They’d much rather wallow in comfortable ignorance.
As a college student then, my question remains: how can I become a “catalyst for discomfort” and invite people to engage in what is often (when addressing issues of race) an uncomfortable conversation? I heard a wise woman say, “we have to be comfortable being [and sometimes making others] uncomfortable.” How can I have impact when the majority of the people at my school “do not see an issue” much less any need for any dialogue about it! Any thoughts?
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:28 am
Kyra Brown- your enthusiasm is admirable! Many times, you have to be your own point person, meaning that if you see an issue that needs addressing you have to be willing to do 100% of the work to make sure it is addressed.
If your fellow classmates and academic colleagues do not seem as interested, reach out to the surrounding community and figure out how the issue affects them personally.
I suggested earlier that addressing this issue could be done on a wider scale, such as health and well-being in general. That is something that is of more use to the communty than a theoretical discussion on hair politics.
To bring it back to academia, perhaps you could spark interest by making your own flyers and brochures and handing them out? The content could be a historical perspective of Black hair, or a series of quotes from Black women about their hair, all leading to the conclusion of “we need to have a talk!”
You could even spice it up a bit by throwing Black men’s own hair issues into the mix (and oh yes we have issues).
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Thank you. Then I must figure out how (in my case) “race” effects the people on my campus who are convinced that they aren’t effected by it. Subtlety and strategy, perhaps? That is going to take a bit more thought/creativity on my part, but I’ll think of something! Lol.
I wonder if these same students stopped at a stop-light during the course of the week, rode in an elevator, put their clothes in the dryer or even used the number zero (all of which were inventions by people of color).
Back to the “Good Hair” topic, sadly, I was also unable to find the documentary playing in an area near me. But I will watch it when it comes out on video too. For a long time I have wondered about the shame attached to black hair. Hair is very political! Our hair has the ability to make a statement. Now, the question is what are we saying with ours?
When I think about black men who wear locks and having to cut them off in order to work at a certain place of employment, it disturbs me. Why do people assume that “natural” black hair styles are unprofessional or distasteful?
Did the woman in this add get a job because of her qualifications or the quality of her permed hair?
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:53 pm
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