Hair, Identity, and Community: Black Women's Experiences Going Natural in College

Abstract

The experience of going natural or deciding to rock an afro, wash-n-go, twist-out, or braided updo on a campus where similar faces are rarely seen in the classroom, in the residence hall, or even in the nearby local community can be one fraught with numerous personal and political identity tensions. Nonetheless, this is the experience for many Black women collegians, both undergraduate and graduate, who choose to wear their natural hair in its kinky, curly, coily, or afro-textured state while in college. Through an intersectional perspective we examine the stories of six Black women and their experiences with their hair, identities, and community as they transitioned to wearing their natural hair. Through this study we center the bodies, voices, and needs of Black women as they navigate the complexities of thriving in a Eurocentric environment (i.e., a predominantly white university). This chapter ends with a call for greater attention to the meaningfulness of Black women's hair and a discussion of strategies for campus agents to more intentionally support Black women throughout their development in college.

Citation

Phelps-Ward, R. and Howard, J.L. (2022), "Hair, Identity, and Community: Black Women's Experiences Going Natural in College", Mayes, R.D., Shavers, M.C. and Moore, J.L. (Ed.) African American Young Girls and Women in PreK12 Schools and Beyond (Advances in Race and Ethnicity in Education, Vol. 8), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 185-206. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2051-231720220000008009