I love my natural hair. I stopped using chemical relaxants in 2007, did the big chop in 2008, and haven’t looked back since!
As is common with many black women, the natural hair journey is a process that can be an emotional roller coaster because of societal norms that label our natural hair less attractive by beauty standards, less professional by workplace standards, and more troublesome for some school dress codes.
These discriminatory norms have also led to less legal protections under the law.
As I learned during my incredible conversation with Professor D. Wendy Greene, African descendants have long been LEGALLY discriminated against on the basis of their natural hair styles.
When Professor Greene learned in law school that the law did not protect against natural hair discrimination–except in cases where a person is wearing an Afro–she set out to change this.
On this episode of the Shontavia Show, Professor Greene outlines how she’s been able to:
- Â help get the law changed in seven states to date via The Crown Act,
- support national law that makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of natural hair styles, and
- successfully build her global #FreeTheHair brand.
If you’ve ever said that you really want to “change the world,” Professor Greene lays out a blueprint for how you can go about doing that in the twenty-first century.
Show Highlights
02:56 How growing up the child of civil rights activists shaped Wendy’s life
09:43 The moment Wendy decided that she was going to change the law to prohibit natural hair discrimination
15:08 Why Wendy had to pivot with her strategy to change American anti-discrimination law
24:42 How to build a movement for EVERYONE while also building a brand for YOURSELF
30:52 The unbreakable connections Wendy sees between #FreeTheHair and #BlackLivesMatter
For more, check out the full episode below.
Show Notes:
Where to find Wendy Greene:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/professordwendy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professordwendy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freethehairnow/
Free the Hair website: https://freethehair.com/
Doris “Wendy” Greene Helped Fight for New York City’s Ban on Natural-Hair Discrimination: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/doris-wendy-greene-natural-hair-anti-discrimination-ban
Made for the moment: Wendy Greene, daughter of anti-discrimination pioneers, to present Angela Davis with Shuttlesworth award: https://www.al.com/news/2020/06/made-for-this-moment-wendy-greene-to-present-angela-davis-with-shuttlesworth-award.html
The Official Crown Act campaign: https://www.thecrownact.com/
Questions and Action: How can you facilitate social change?
 After you’ve had a chance to watch the video, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section!
Please answer the questions relevant to your current situation:
1. Do you know what impact you want to make on the world? What tangible wrongs do you want to see righted?
2. Have you acquired the knowledge you need to join conversations around those wrongs?
3. Can you speak publicly–online AND offline–about the wrongs you want to see righted? Where can you get involved today?
*Did you sign the Crown Act petition? If not, do so today at: https://campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/help-make-hair-discrimination-illegal
Please give as much information as you can in response to these questions. I’d be happy to share more tools and resources that help you get what you want.Â
Thank you so much for joining me on this roller coaster of an experience.
I am eternally grateful that I get to do this work with working professionals who are also creators, entrepreneurs and side hustlers like yourself.
                                                                 Let’s continue to make it happen,
