Hair Today, Black Tomorrow

	By Joe Hendrix, Editor, The Real Chi

The Jett Hawkins Act has been passed to help stop discrimination for hair styles in Illinois schools. But the real question is: Can we be doing more for young adults in the Chicagoland area?

The passing of the Jett Hawkins Act was the result of a four-year-old with the same name being sent home because he was wearing braids at his preschool at Providence St. Mel School. Jett’s mother, Ida Nelson, appalled by the school’s problematic decision, informed the institution of the CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World with No Racism) which is meant to end hair discrimination. Her resistance to their declaration along with the CROWN act was brought to the public by the CROWN Coalition, a national alliance founded by multiple organizations such as Dove (the hair care brand) and the National Urban League, to end race based hair dissemination. The Coalition, which was founded in early 2019, has successfully led legislation to end hair discrimination in fourteen states. Once  Ida Nelson went public with the mistreatment of her son the Coalition took steps through their own social campaign to help. Eventually, public awareness along with help from other officials led to creation of the Jett Hawkins Act which went into effect on January 1.

Illinois Senator Mike Simmons (7th District) helped draft the Jett Hawkins Act. He wears freeform locs. He commented on the situation stating, “When he saw Jett's story he understood and he saw himself. Which is why representation is so important, and he wanted to jump in and do his part too and help me to change this." After the bill was finally passed on August 13, Simmons said, “No child should ever have to experience being singled out by their school for sporting a hairstyle that remains true to their heritage, culture or ancestry.”

“Why we fight for our hair”

The way Black people style their hair is usually a form of personal expression. Similar to how we dress, hair represents how we would like to present ourselves to the world. Unfortunately, for certain demographics within this country, their natural hair is seen as something unorthodox and to be ashamed of. To be specific, Black Americans have had their hair demonized for decades with strict mandates in schools and other professional work settings that look to regulate how Black children, teenagers, and adults can wear their hair. Whether it be forcibly cutting off a high school wrestler’s dreadlocks  (in the case of sixteen year old Andrew Johnson from New Jersey) in the middle of a match in 2019 or sending a four-year-old home for having braids, the intolerance towards Black hair is ever prevalent. 

While we have come leaps and bounds in terms of overturning hair discrimination in Illinois schools this does not stop most place of employment throughout the state. All of these recent laws and acts do not apply to employers who can pick and choose candidates based on their hairstyles. This may stop young adults with free flowing locs or a bit of different color in their hair to lose out on opportunities because there is nothing in place to protect them. Due to the Illinois Human Rights Act, places of employment must already have fair hiring practices that do not factor in race, but most ethnic hairstyles are used to dismiss them. Just making the Jett Hawkins ACT and CROWN Act apply to schools are a Band-Aid on the knife wound of a problem, and if regulations are not made young adults in the Chicagoland area will have a rude awakening.