Source: Michael Tran / Getty
When the word “dreadlocks” was trending on Twitter the other day, it wasn’t a celebration of the beauty of this natural hairstyle that many Black folks around the world love to rock.
Sadly, it was trending because of the same ol’ racist propaganda that this hairstyle deters African-Americans’ success, is somehow unprofessional, and is a symbol not taking one’s future seriously.
See, it all started with a pic that went viral showing Sally Hardgrove, some deranged looking white woman, cutting off a Black boy’s dreads so he can have “a better life.” To add insult to injury, Hardgrove’s Chicago-based organization, Crusher Club, will receive a portion of the $400,000 Jay-Z, Roc Nation, and the NFL vowed to donate to Windy City youth organizations in the name of their “Inspire Change” program.
This is the chess y’all said Hova was playing?
Well, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay took to Twitter to not only take back the narrative but shift it to reflect our reality: Assimilation and respectability politics won’t save black folks. That, and our natural hair is beautiful.
“Let’s replace those images of a Trump supporter gleefully cutting a young black man’s locs to give him a “better life”… with the beauty and majesty of life with locs. If you adorn yourself with natural locs, share your pictures with the hashtag #loclife. I’ll start. xo,” the When They See Us creator tweeted, showing an array of photos of her proudly rocking her dreads.
DuVernay’s call to action worked, with thousands replying to her to post showcasing pics of their own dreadlocks. Just take a look at all this Black beauty…you can literally get lost in it.