Philadelphia Weekly

The Politics of Black Women’s Hair

“Little girl with the press and curl/Age eight I got a Jheri curl/Thirteen I got a relaxer/I was a source of so much laughter/At fifteen when it all broke off/Eighteen and went all natural.” Indeed, the first verse of India.Arie’s Grammy Award-nominated 2006 single, “I Am Not My Hair,” simultaneously offered a telling glimpse at and searing critique of the seemingly-universal rite of passage black girls in America eventually undergo regarding the styling, care and maintenance of their hair. Nevermind how that decision—or those decisions, really, ‘cause it’s a continuum of choices over the long haul—impacts said girl or the complex world in which she’s trying to leave a mark. Nevermind the history—or “hair-story”—behind what makes sisters’ tresses the subject of so much scrutiny and discussion. Nevermind? Not today—and certainly not while progressive women like MSNBC host and longtime scholar Melissa Harris-Perry and her peers explore the topic so brilliantly, both on her eponymous weekend morning show and at events like this day-long symposium, sponsored by University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Africana Studies. Harris-Perry, who moderates a session of fellow black female academics to kick off the day, joins frequent MHP guest and Penn associate professor Dr. Anthea Butler, graduate students and a throng of experts and specialists in probing the societal expectation, personal expression, financial implications and politics of black women’s hair, whether pressed or permed, locked or twisted, braided or weaved. Whether you are your hair or not, ultimately, this day’s all about what’s in your head, black girl—not atop it. / Kenya Beverly

9am. Free. University of Pennsylvania, Claudia Cohen Hall, 249 S. 36th St. africana.sas.upenn.edu

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WHEN
Friday, March 01, 2013
Recurring: ONCE

TIME & PRICE
9am Free.

WHERE
University of Pennsylvania , 249S. 36th St, Philadelphia, PA
One time only on 03/01/2013. .

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