What historical events shaped perceptions of textured hair in employment?

Roots

Consider, for a moment, the living tapestry of your own being, each strand a testament to countless generations. For textured hair, this connection to the past runs particularly deep, holding within its coils and curls not just genetic code, but the whispers of ancestors, the triumphs of survival, and the profound significance of heritage. It is a story told not merely in fibers and follicles, but in the echoes of historical events that have, for centuries, sculpted perceptions of textured hair within the unforgiving corridors of employment.

How could something so inherent to identity become a barrier to livelihood? The answer lies in the deep currents of history, in the deliberate dismantling of ancestral reverence for textured hair.

Ancient Reverence and Ancestral Wisdom

Across ancient African civilizations, hair was far more than a simple adornment. It served as a powerful language, a visual narrative that communicated profound truths about an individual’s identity, social standing, age, marital status, tribal affiliation, and even spiritual beliefs. The very act of hair care was a communal, sacred ritual, a time for bonding, storytelling, and the transmission of ancestral wisdom from elder to youth. Complex braiding patterns, intricate twists, and sculpted styles were not fleeting trends but held deep cultural and spiritual meanings.

For instance, in Yoruba culture, hair was considered the portal through which spirits entered the soul, making its maintenance an act of honoring spiritual power. These practices, passed down through time, celebrated the natural coil and curl as a sign of beauty, abundance, and connection to the divine.

The Transatlantic Shift in Perception

The forced migration of Africans through the transatlantic slave trade severed countless physical ties to ancestral lands, but the memory of hair’s sacredness endured in various forms. Yet, this era marked a brutal turning point in the perception of textured hair. Amidst the dehumanizing conditions, traditional hair care practices were often impossible to maintain, and in many instances, hair was forcibly shaved as a means to strip enslaved individuals of their cultural identity. The colonizers and enslavers introduced and enforced Eurocentric ideals of beauty, equating African hair textures with inferiority, deeming them “unprofessional,” “untidy,” or “unmanageable.”

The imposition of Eurocentric beauty standards during the era of enslavement initiated a systematic denigration of textured hair, transforming a cultural symbol into a marker of perceived inferiority.

This systematic devaluation was not merely social; it became legally codified. In a particularly telling instance, the Tignon Laws were established in Louisiana in 1786. These laws compelled free Creole women of color, who often wore elaborate hairstyles that showcased their coils and kinks with dignity, to cover their hair with a tignon or head-rag.

This mandate aimed to visually signify their status as members of a lower social class, akin to enslaved people, regardless of their freedom. The very fabric of society began to associate natural Black hair with a “badge of inferiority,” ensuring that opportunities for advancement, particularly in employment, would be predicated on conformity to imposed aesthetics.

Early Colonial Policies and Their Echoes

• Head-Rag Requirements ❉ Enslaved women working in fields were often made to cover their hair due to harsh conditions. House slaves sometimes mimicked enslaver hairstyles or wore wigs.
• Tignon Laws ❉ Specifically targeted free women of color in New Orleans, forcing head coverings to denote their lower social standing, regardless of freedom.
• “Woolly” Descriptions ❉ Derogatory terms like “kinky” and “nappy” were used by white people to express disapproval of Afro-textured hair, mocking it through caricatures in media.

Ritual

The legacy of ancestral traditions, while challenged, persisted through generations, quietly adapting to new realities. After emancipation, the shadows of centuries-long bondage continued to influence every facet of Black life, including hair. The external pressures to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards intensified, creating a complex internal dialogue about identity and acceptance. Many Black women, seeking avenues for social and economic advancement, felt compelled to alter their hair’s natural form, navigating a societal landscape where straight hair was deemed the benchmark of “professionalism.” This era saw the rise of new rituals, born of necessity and survival, reshaping the everyday care and presentation of textured hair in profound ways.

The Straightening Imperative and Economic Pathways

The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed the popularization of chemical relaxers and hot combs. These tools offered a means to achieve the smooth, straight styles favored by dominant society. A significant figure in this period was Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove.

A self-made millionaire, Walker developed and marketed hair care products, including those that aided in hair straightening. Her empire created unprecedented economic opportunities for Black women, employing tens of thousands as sales agents who traveled door-to-door, offering both products and a path to financial independence. While some historians note her contributions to racial uplift through economic empowerment, others reflect upon how her widespread influence also reinforced the notion that straight hair was a prerequisite for social mobility. The very concept of “good hair”—hair that more closely resembled straighter textures—became intertwined with perceived respectability and success.

Afro as a Statement of Sovereignty

The mid-20th century, particularly the 1960s and 1970s, bore witness to a powerful cultural awakening ❉ the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement. Within this seismic shift, the Afro emerged not simply as a hairstyle but as a potent symbol of Black pride, self-love, and a direct challenge to Eurocentric beauty norms. It was a public declaration of solidarity within the Black community and a weapon in the fight for racial equality. Activists and artists alike donned the Afro, making it an icon of liberation.

Angela Davis, a scholar and political activist, became synonymous with the Afro, her image embodying resistance against injustice and a rejection of forced assimilation. This period marked a reclaiming of African identity through hair, a conscious decision to wear one’s natural texture without apology.

The rise of the Afro during the Black Power Movement transformed textured hair into a revolutionary symbol of pride and a rejection of oppressive beauty standards.

Despite this cultural resurgence, the path to acceptance in employment was far from smooth. While courts began to acknowledge the Afro as a protected racial characteristic under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in some instances, such as the 1976 case of Jenkins v. Blue Cross Mutual Hospital Insurance, the broader legal landscape remained inconsistent and often hostile to other natural styles. The social pressure to conform to Eurocentric aesthetics, even after the Civil Rights movement, continued to influence employment decisions, subtly dictating how Black women presented themselves in professional spaces.

Shifting Cultural Currents and Employment Realities

The decades following the Black Power movement saw a complex interplay of assimilationist pressures and renewed expressions of natural hair. The 1980s and 1990s witnessed a proliferation of pressed and permed styles, influenced by widespread hair care advertisements. Yet, this period also saw the increasing popularity of styles like braids and cornrows, often showcased by Black celebrities. These styles, however, frequently became the subject of legal challenges, as companies sought to regulate employee appearance.

A prominent case involved a Black woman suing American Airlines in 1981 because the company demanded she remove her braids. The court sided with the airline, arguing that braids were not an immutable racial characteristic like the Afro. This ruling set a challenging precedent, subsequently used by other employers to justify similar demands, as seen when the Hyatt Regency required employee Cheryl Tatum to resign for refusing to remove her cornrows. This historical legal precedent highlighted the precarious position of textured hair in employment, where cultural expression was often deemed a mutable, and thus punishable, choice.

Relay

The legacy of ancestral practices continues to inform contemporary expressions of self, even as the landscape of employment presents ongoing hurdles. The fight for true equity in the workplace, particularly concerning textured hair, remains a persistent and evolving struggle, built upon the foundations laid by historical injustices. The echoes of past discrimination resonate in modern policies and unspoken biases, demanding continuous vigilance and legislative action to ensure that one’s inherent being is never a barrier to opportunity.

Contemporary Discrimination and the CROWN Act

Even in the 21st century, discrimination against textured hair in employment persists, reflecting deep-seated, historically ingrained biases. A 2023 study by Dove and LinkedIn found that Black women’s hair is 2.5 Times as Likely as White Women’s Hair to Be Perceived as “unprofessional.” The implications extend beyond perception; approximately Two-Thirds (66%) of Black Women Report Changing Their Hair for a Job Interview, with 41% altering their hair from curly to straight. This data reveals a persistent pressure to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards to secure employment, a direct lineage from the historical narratives of assimilation. Over 20% of Black women between the ages of 25 and 34 have been sent home from work because of their hair.

One of the most widely cited modern instances illustrating this ongoing struggle is the case of Chastity Jones. In 2010, she received a job offer from Catastrophe Management Solutions, only to have it rescinded when she refused to cut her locs, which the company deemed “messy.” The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit on her behalf in 2013, arguing that the company’s action constituted racial discrimination. However, the case was ultimately dismissed, with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the lower court’s ruling that locs were not an immutable racial characteristic.

Despite strides in civil rights, textured hair still faces systemic bias in contemporary employment, leading to significant personal and professional compromises.

The outcomes of cases like Jones’s underscored the legal ambiguity and vulnerability Black individuals faced. Federal civil rights laws, while prohibiting race-based discrimination, often did not explicitly include hair texture or protective hairstyles within their definitions of race, creating a loophole that allowed discriminatory practices to continue. This legal vacuum prompted a renewed legislative push, giving rise to the CROWN Act.

How Does Legislation Address Historical Harms?

The CROWN Act, an acronym for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” directly confronts this historical issue by prohibiting discrimination based on hair texture and culturally significant hairstyles. California led the way, passing the first CROWN Act in 2019, amending its anti-discrimination statutes to explicitly include traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles like braids, locs, and twists. Since then, a growing number of states have enacted similar legislation, recognizing hair discrimination as a form of racial discrimination.

The push for the CROWN Act at the federal level reflects a collective desire for nationwide protection, ensuring that the legacy of ancestral hair is no longer a professional liability. While the federal CROWN Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, it has not yet been enacted into federal law. This ongoing legislative journey highlights the deep-seated nature of the biases it seeks to dismantle, biases that have been cultivated and reinforced through centuries of historical events.

Legal Responses and Ongoing Advocacy

The CROWN Act’s existence signifies a crucial recognition that policies prohibiting natural hairstyles are often rooted in white standards of appearance and perpetuate racist stereotypes that declare Black hairstyles unprofessional. It represents an attempt to redefine what constitutes “professionalism” in the workplace, moving away from a narrow, Eurocentric ideal toward one that respects the diversity and heritage of all hair textures. The act protects various styles, including:

• Afros ❉ A symbol of Black Power and resistance that emerged in the 1960s.
• Braids ❉ Styles with deep historical roots in Africa, used for communication and identity.
• Locs ❉ Traditionally linked to spiritual practices in some cultures, now often perceived as messy or unprofessional in corporate settings.
• Twists ❉ A protective style with cultural significance.
• Bantu Knots ❉ Ancient African style that is also a protective measure for hair.

Reflection

The journey of textured hair through the annals of employment history is a profound exploration of human resilience, cultural identity, and the enduring spirit of heritage. It is a story not yet concluded, for the gentle wisdom of ancestral practices still guides many, and the echoes of past struggles continue to inform the present. Each strand, each curl, each coil carries the memory of an unbroken lineage, a silent protest against erasure, and a radiant affirmation of self.

Roothea seeks to be a living archive, a space where the elemental biology of textured hair meets the sacred traditions of its care, and where its role in shaping futures is honored with reverence. Understanding these historical events allows us to see beyond superficial aesthetics, recognizing textured hair as a powerful conduit to one’s ancestry, a physical manifestation of an identity that has, against all odds, continued to flourish.

From the ancient African belief that hair served as a connection to the spiritual realm, to the painful imposition of foreign beauty standards during enslavement, and the defiant blossoming of the Afro during the Black Power Movement, the story of textured hair in employment reflects a larger societal narrative of control and liberation. The ongoing work of legislation like the CROWN Act is not merely about legal precedent; it is about reclaiming dignity, valuing authenticity, and weaving the diverse strands of humanity into a truly inclusive future. It reminds us that every hair texture holds its own unique beauty and a deep history, deserving of respect, celebration, and unwavering acceptance in every sphere of life, including the professional one.