IndyBar: Hair Discrimination Has No Age Limits

By Roya Porter, Strada Education Foundation

Please join the Marion County Bar Association, which will host Jantina Anderson, an IUPUI doctoral candidate, to speak on the topic of hair discrimination as part of a statewide racial equity humanities initiative in partnership with Indiana Humanities. The talk, “Happy 5th Birthday: Hair Discrimination Has No Age Limits,” will give insights into biases associated with Black hair, the lived experiences of Black people who wear their natural hair and how responses to African American hair texture perpetuates racism. Historic and current hair biases and discriminations will be presented with vibrant images, physical examples,and data. The Marion County Bar Association is one of more than two dozen organizations across the state selected by Indiana Humanities in 2023 to serve as hosts for the speaker series. The Advancing Racial Equity Speakers Bureau is a curated list of interesting and informative presentations, discussions and workshops from Hoosier scholars on topics exploring histories of race, racism and the Black experience in Indiana and beyond. The event will take place from 2-4 p.m. on March 8 in Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt’s courtroom in the United States Federal Courthouse for the Southern District of Indiana at 46 E. Ohio St., Indianapolis, 46204. The event is free and open to the public. Free CLE credit will be offered pending approval. Please register for the event by scanning the QR code or visiting www.mcbaindy.org.

Dove USA reported that Black girls begin experiencing race-based hair discrimination due to wearing protective hairstyles (braids, afros, locs and twists) at age 5. According to Dove, Black women are often pressured to conform to Eurocentric standards of appearance. Further, a majority (54%) of Black women alter their textured hair to secure employment, particularly during the interview process. In more recent years, Black men have also started to wear natural protective hairstyles as well, which makes this a gender-neutral issue. To illustrate with a sports analogy, even if you are not an avid sports fan, we are all familiar with Allen Iverson’s trademark braids and the negative media publicity he received due to not fitting the ideal aesthetics prescribed by the NBA for its players. While the number of Black people embracing natural protective hairstyles has significantly increased in recent years, there are still countless stories of hair discrimination taking place in our schools and workplaces. In 2019, a New Jersey high school wrestler was forced to cut his locs off before a wrestling match or forfeit because his hairstyle did not conform to the rulebook. Hair is a very important part of authenticity and identity, particularly in the Black community. In January 2019, California became the first state to introduce the CROWN Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 3, 2019. As of June 2023, 23 states have enacted the CROWN Act into law. Jantina Anderson’s speech will explore the CROWN Act and the impact that hair discrimination has on society, with a special emphasis on Black Women.•

Roya Porter is senior corporate counsel for the Strada Education Foundation and is a highly-engaged member of the Marion County Bar Association, serving as chair of this program.