Similar to other aspects of life, White cultural norms influence the evaluations and expectations placed on Black women in the workplace. Even though Bo Derek inspired many White women to wear braids after her character in the film 10, the New York District Court sided with American Airlines when Renee Rogers sued her employer for denying her the right to wear similar braids to work. Nearly 40 years later, laws in California and New York City have finally acknowledged this approach as racial discrimination by making it illegal for any public and private entity from discriminating against Black hair. Building off these competing legal interpretations, this article analyzes the discrimination targeted at Black women’s hairstyles, the directions provided by both the New York City Human Rights Law and the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act, and the relevance that this issue has for Black women across the nation.

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As remnants of a period in America’s past that some would like pretend did not exist, Black colleges have frequently been devalued and misconstrued. In a time when affirmative action programs are constantly being questioned, these institutions continue to be accused of promoting segregation. However, those who make such claims do so in direct opposition to the history that led to the development of these institutions. Although it is not often discussed, Black colleges have a long-standing tradition of preparing their students for economic, political, and social success. The purpose of this article is to provide an accurate historical and contemporary view of these institutions. Much can be learned from these institutions which have creatively combined academic instruction, cultural edification, and social uplift to generate a program that has been successfully preparing students for more than 100 years.

Discrimination and intersecting forms of oppression directed at Black women influence how they look, live, work, interact with others, and even view their bodies and identities. Black hair has been and remains a target of this discrimination and oppression by obligating Black women to strive toward White beauty norms. Still under consideration in several states, the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act provides a legislative intervention to protect Black women (and men) from hair discrimination at work, during school, and as they go about their daily lives. This article examines the politics affecting Black hair. The data for this study came from semi-structured interviews with 22 Black women who define their hair as natural. The results indicate that racial history and stereotypes continue to create unachievable standards for Black hair; that Black women continue to encounter discrimination when embracing their natural hair; and that wearing Black natural hair is often an uplifting decision for the women who elect to do so. The fact that others continue to challenge and discriminate against Black natural in multiple venues confirms the need for a national CROWN Act.

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