CLEVELAND — For 22 years, Ladosha Wright has been combing through and styling the waves, kinks and curls of natural, textured hair.
Its shapes and styles has long been a source of pride for many in the Black community, but for many, it’s also been a source of prejudice.
In the Reverence Design Team Hair Salon, Wright is using her experiences to equip those who sit in her chair with the tools to address discrimination and voice their feelings with her newly-launched Ubuntu Hair Love Project.
“In this program, you’ll get that context of the history of textured hair. The second week, you’re going to actually discuss. We’re going to talk about our issues around bullying, discrimination (and) hatred of our hair. The third week, we have some solutions. We’re going to do some role playing and just some cool exercises to help people understand how to deal with bullying, discrimination shaming,” Wright said.
In efforts to make hair discrimination a thing of the past, many states and cities across the country have passed The CROWN Act, which is intended to ensure protection against discrimination against race-based hairstyles.
According to CROWN Act research, Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair.
“We’ve been forced to kind of, you know, fit into the box of how hair should look and what beauty is,” Wright said.
While The CROWN Act hasn’t been passed on the state level here in Ohio, cities including Columbus, Akron and Cleveland Heights have passed it. It’s a win, Wright said, but the work has just begun.
“Behind the scenes, it is definitely still an issue. Women still do not feel comfortable with their hair for certain situations. That is definitely a concern,” Wright said.
It’s a concern for both women and men. Waverly Willis, who is a barber in Cleveland, said Wright’s project is necessary as he hears about hair discrimination from his clients quite often.
“Freshly graduated from college or they’re just looking for a job, and it was by advice to them that they would have to cut their locks off or something like that, in order for them to find employment. I think it’s terrible that we’ve always had to alter how we naturally are to make another culture feel comfortable,” Wright said.
The Ubuntu Hair Love Project not only aims to teach participants how to handle hostile work or school environments, but how to appreciate and care for their hair. Wright said hair love, appreciation and knowledge coupled with legislation like the CROWN Act is what will create lasting change.
“Now they can understand what makes their hair unique, and that is the spirit of Ubuntu, which is coming out of the Zulu language, which means, ‘I am because we are,'” Wright said.
The Ubuntu Hair Love Project is free to all participants and is funded by a Neighborhood Connections Grant. The program runs in six-week sessions and you can participate in person or online. Click here for more information or email Ladosha Wright at ladoshaw@yahoo.com.
