Dear Reader,
I wrote a post earlier this week entitled “Black Man” where I discussed the lack of a movement signifying solidarity among the black community in America. I personally found it frustrating that there hasn’t been substantial progress since the pro-black movement of the ’70s, ’80s, and even early ’90s.
With that being said, I thought I’d try something new. No, I’m not going to form a new-age Black Panther party or attempt to guilt folks into doing better. Rather, I’ll use this blog to introduce to you, the black reader, someone in our community that does something to break the stereotype. Someone that helps to move the black community forward in any which way, big or small. You may or may not care and that’s fine. But at least it’s a step forward.
Meet Rochelle Ritchie
The first person I’d like to introduce to you is a black female reporter from Florida. I came across the story on Essence.com and thought it was note-worthy.
Rochelle Ritchie is a reporter at the NBC-affiliate station in West Palm Beach, FL who decided to remove the extensions, chop off her relaxed hair and go natural – and documented the transformation for a news segment. She recounts a story about how it was difficult for her to find a job after graduating college because of her then-look, sporting a “relaxed, shoulder-length” hairstyle.
Who cares, right? Well if you’re black and a woman then you know the unnecessary dilemmas we face when creating a hairstyle that is considered “work appropriate.” Though we’ve made considerable strides in accepting a wide variety of hairstyles to wear to the office - long, short, braids, locks, fros, curls, etc - the fact is black women still have to be extra careful in choosing their coiffe-du-jour.
Yes, it is understandable that some black women just want an easier process to manage their hair, a change, or to just try something different and that’s okay. But in many industries where personal appearance has the potential to affect the business of the company (such as news reporters), black women are still caving in to the pressure to process, straighten, and artificially elongate their hair in styles similar to their non-black counterparts, which is unfair and damaging to the black woman’s self-esteem.
The appearance of the black woman’s hair is a culture that obviously has its roots (no pun intended) in the country’s dark chapters of race relations. Though the black and female demographic may now be more accepting of their natural hair than ever before, there still seems to be a lack of role models where it probably matters most to the ‘natural hair movement’ - the media. In fact, I can only think of a few of people right off that bat – such as Solange Knowles, Lauryn Hill (pre-meltdown), and Whoopi Goldberg – that sport their unique, natural look. But Ms. Ritchie lets us know that it’s ok to love your curls and kinks. Kudos to her.
Read more about Rochelle Ritchie and watch the video here on Essence.com: Florida TV Reporter Goes Natural in Front of Viewers
P.S. I need a title for this segment so give me a suggestion. “Black Person of the Day” just sounds….bad.
