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?

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).

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?

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.

re: progressive, intellectual discourse in our communities, how would you suggest we may prompt these in our own local communities..what platform?