Black Women, Their Hair and Character Pt1
Racism Once More in US Media
Sadly enough, Black women and our “nappy head” has brought issues of racism to the forefront of the US (and world) media again. CBS mustered the courage and fired Don Imus their $11 million income generating personality. Imus seemed to have allowed either momentary insanity to overcome him, or just simply let loose his deepest racist and sexist sentiments about Blacks in general, and Black women in particular.
How on earth do you explain away a public figure calling the young women of the Rutgers Basketball team, “nappy-headed hos.” Imus admits he did not ‘know what he was thinking’ - obviously he was not thinking. The coach of the team, describes the comment as “racist and sexist remarks that are deplorable, despicable, and abominable and unconscionable. It hurts me.” As for me, I am positively livid.
The Bible and Hair in Jamaica
I would have missed the story had not a friend in Jamaica told me about Imus disgraceful behaviour. He also mentioned that he just saw for the first time my comments in an article in the Jamaica Gleaner where I highlighted this very issue of the Jamaican church’s racist attitudes toward Black women and their hair. In response to a question the reporter asked about the church and my close-cropped natural hair style, I highlighted the church’s prejudice against short or natural hair styles.
These hairstyles are described by some as being too backward or country and thus not suitable for formal settings. Worse, some in the church cite the Bible to provide scriptural support for their bias against black kinky hair, by claiming that ‘a woman should have long hair for her hair is her beauty’. The proponents of biblical injunctions against closely cropped hair on women, also emphatically claim that a woman who cuts her hair is a prostitute. Such are the misinformed attitudes of some Jamaica Christians.
Women, Hair and Character
The link between hair and prostitution drawn from scripture will be discussed in a separate article. In the case of Imus there was no appeal to scripture only to a momentary lapse in his thought process. Therefore, his thoughtless comment makes it more urgent for all to see the short film produced by Kiri Davis called A Girl Like Me. You can watch it here.
It is a rather damning video produced by young Kiri Davis. It is a modern look at an old but not dead issue of racism in standards and constructs of beauty. The commonly accepted images of beauty out of Europe and of white women in general that bombard black and non-white children is extremely damaging. These misconceptions about beauty contributes to lack of self-esteem so prevalent among non-white peoples and especially among young black women. I have to say though, that white women also suffer the brunt of these standards as well. This fact will be part of another article to come.
Imus’ comment is no joke and he has paid the price for his brief moment of senility. However, he is just one fly in the ointment. In my next articles I will discuss in greater detail how the church is also guilty of what Imus did and finally we will take a closer look at the attitude of Blacks to Blacks and this whole thing called beauty in relation to Black women, their hair and their character.
More coming soon,
Marvia
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April 14th, 2007 at 2:59 am
[...] Original post by Marvia [...]
April 16th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Hey Marvia,
I’ve seen the video ‘A Girl Like Me’ before and i think the saddest part of the video shows the little girls rejecting the black doll as the beautifully doll and the one that they would want to be like. From such a young age these black girls have come to identify white as more beautiful than black and thus ‘white hair’ as more acceptable and beautiful than ‘black hair’.
As far as hair and church goes we’re getting there. I’ve started to lock my hair and less than a handful of people have inquired when im gonna pull it out, and that i couldn’t be serious. I know a female pastors who has locked her hair and a student pastor who is considering to lock her’s but has decided to wait until the church she is sent to warms up to her rather than give them the double whammy of having to warm up to her and ‘her hair’.
As for Imus, he defiantly had some underline issues which contributed to his comment…
Hey you know that the current Miss Jamaica is a Rastafarian (independent as she doesnt belong to any of the tribes). Yup so Miss Jamaica will be sporting locks this year so she is gonna get double attention as she is not only Jamaican but has locks
Can she win thats another story….
April 16th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Great Article Marvia. This is so powerful. It is indeed an unfortunate state of affairs when things like this happen. As for the stance on black women’s hair its still a bit of the slavery mentality that we have not passed yet. Love your style.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Thank you for all you do my beautiful sister!
First, the Imus thing-I believe that the tongues of the wicked are being unbound. More and more high profile people are having things come out of their mouths that they did not intend to be said out loud. There are too many of these “accidents” occurring for them not to have a very deep spiritual meaning.
Interestingly enough, the week before, I had braided my hair, as we all have I’ve wavered between styles for years-my daughter has always worn hers naturally. She is 32 and did not care for black dolls either even though I never bought her any white ones; when someone brought one into the house-she went right for it!
I love my natural beauty, gray, nappy-whatever–it’s mine and I love it. On another level, it goes to the millions and millions of dollars we have been brainwashed into spending on things we do not need that keep us in an economic underclass and always feeling inferior.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:47 am
My beautiful sister you have always had the brains and the wisdom of God with you to know what is right. Yes, I am white but I have dealt with black womens hair and think it is beautiful if taken care of just like ours. I know there is much more work involved keeping it beautiful like you do. Prostitutes has nothing to do with the races and the children become racist in homes that the parents are racists. We need to educate them otherwise so the tradition doesn’t continue. I love you my sister in all that you are trying to accomplish as I am sure it is a difficult task being a woman. Praying for you and your ministry.
April 25th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Hello Everyone,
I missed Purple Panama so much, I just couldn´t write. Ok ok…no excuses. I was just very busy with a million things to do.
Thanks for your posts.
Derri - now you have given me added information for Part 3 in this series. Thank you, thank you! A Rasta Miss Jamaica. I nearly keeled over at that one. Love it!
Rootz - “Encouragement sweetens labour” - thanks dear one.
Joyce - The “price” we pay for beauty does keep women in poverty, especially spiritual poverty. One cannot be spiritually whole if one is uncertain about her (his) identity!
Topash (Sis Terry) - Racism like you said, remains alive. How unfortunate for us as human beings that we cannot appreciate beauty as God sees in, in creating such a rich and diverse world.
More coming soon…
Marvia
May 1st, 2007 at 2:33 am
[...] Black Women, Their Hair and Character Pt1 [...]
May 21st, 2007 at 8:00 pm
[...] Black Women, Their Hair and Character Pt1 [...]