Saturday evenings when I was little were often unpleasant for me. They would start out just fine, with a long bath where I could enjoy playing with a few bath toys and watching my little fingertips turn into raisins. My big sister S– would help me wash my hair, doing her best to keep the water out of my eyes as I held my head under the tub spigot. Then out of the tub, dressed in my PJs and “No More Tears” in my hair, I would sit on the little stool to have my hair put into curlers for the night.

My Crown

If you’re my age, you may remember those pink foam and plastic curlers. They didn’t seem too bad, at least they weren’t scratchy like the brush curlers Mom used in her hair. They didn’t seem bad until I climbed into bed and tried to fall asleep. I’d toss and turn all night, knowing that the curls just wouldn’t last in the morning. I’m pretty sure Mom kept hoping her little tow-headed baby would have curls like Shirley Temple, not wanting to admit that I got my hair genes from her. Stick straight, fine and thin.

It took years of home and professional perms, foam and brush rollers and the steam rollers of the 80’s before I finally had to admit I just wasn’t going to have curly hair. It took many more years after that to realize that not having curls was okay, straight hair is not bad. I’ve finally realized that I love my hair that doesn’t hold a curl without major persuasion. I appreciate that it doesn’t matter how long it is, I can wake up, run my fingers through it and I’m good to go. I don’t have to fight with tangles, humidity, or any of the other frustrations that many women deal with. I certainly never had to be concerned with wearing a wig or making sure it conformed to anyone else’s ideal.

The CROWN Act

So one year ago when Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as an associate justice to the US Supreme Court, a news anchor made a comment that took me by surprise. The comment was basically how great it was that Judge Jackson wore her hair in braids for her swearing in, which would not have been acceptable in the past. I know I grew up sheltered from a lot of the world, but until that day I had no idea that anyone could or would be discriminated against just because of their hairstyle. I wear my hair “naturally” all the time. Why in the world would someone have a problem if someone’s “natural” hair is kinky or curly? Seriously, people!  That’s just crazy to me!

Since that news report I’ve learned several states have passed what are known as CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural hair) Acts and now there is a Federal Law in the works that will hopefully pass this year. But we shouldn’t need to have laws like this to force people to act humanely. Why can’t we just live by the golden rule? I really hope one of these days we can stop feeling the need to legislate morality and just get back to working to be good human beings.