Elter Bright, To be Black is to be Like Our Hair

ELTER BRIGHT

To be Black is to be like our hair. If you know anything about Black hair, you know it looks tough and hard to manage. Isn’t that also how society sees us? To be Black is to be like our hair. Something you may not know unless you have Black hair is that our hair is actually very delicate. It’s easily damaged if not handled correctly. Similarly, Black people aren’t just how we appear. Black people aren’t the collection of the biases you attach to our skin. Black people are human and, just like our hair, humans are easily damaged when not handled correctly. To be Black is to be like our hair. Damage done to Black hair is not fixed with one deep conditioner. Just like the damage done to Black people is not fixed by one kneeling cop. To be Black is to be like our hair. That one deep conditioner may help, but ultimately you’ll have to change everything you’ve been doing to repair the damage. Similarly, the way this country has been treating Black people has to change in order to see any repair to the damage. To be Black is to be like our hair.