Gabrielle Union, Keke Palmer among advocates speaking out against hair discrimination in new PSA
Gabrielle Union, Keke Palmer, Marsai Martin and Uzo Aduba joined forces for a PSA about hair discrimination.
As a part of Glamour’s September issue, the magazine is calling attention to the struggles countless Black women endure when it comes to navigating the world with their natural hair. Working with Crown Coalition, a group of organizations dedicated to ending hair discrimination, Glamour compiled anonymous, first-hand accounts from 13 Black women across the United States who have had to deal with unwanted and offensive comments about their hair. Union, Palmer, Martin and Aduba read these accounts in the PSA.
“I’ve been mocked and ridiculed for the frizzy coils that escape my tightly wound bun,” Martin said.
“When I first started pageants, I was told by many to never let my hair be natural for competition,” Union said.
“HR told me my hair looked more professional pulled back and in a bun than it did out curly,” Palmer added.
Martin addressed the bullying and punishment Black school-age children experience because of how they wear their hair and cited an incident where a teacher cut a student’s hair because her beads were making too much noise.
The women also quoted declarations made by other Black women about the importance of loving their natural hair.
“I started my locs journey out of convenience, now, it’s an outright protest,” Aduba said.
“My hair has a greater purpose than myself and I will not put it away to comply with white cultural standards of beauty,” Palmer said.
Martin and Aduba both cited Dove’s 2019 C.R.O.W.N. Research Study that showed the scope of the discrimination Black women have faced when it comes to their natural hair.
“Black women are 83 percent more likely to report being judged more harshly on their looks than other women at work,” Martin said.
“Black women also reported they are one-and-a-half times more likely to be sent home from work simply because of their hair,” Aduba added.
The PSA also called on people to support the CROWN Act, which aims to make it illegal for employers and schools to discriminate against anyone because of how they wear their hair.
Currently, California, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Washington are the only states where the act has been passed. Union, who has been an outspoken advocate for natural hair, even sharing her own journey with hair loss after IVF, said all 50 states should have this legislation passed.
“This isn’t just a hair issue. Hair discrimination is racial discrimination, period. Together, we can make our schools and workplaces safer and equal for all,” Union said.
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