Being a Black artist in America means just that. And it comes with challenges.

As a being, we are who we are. We represent our families and environments, and we present as a conglomerate of the various influences of those around us. Most importantly, we are being, we are constantly existing. Thus presents the challenge of self identity, of agency, of free will, of destiny and destination.

An old video of Beyoncé resurfaced during Latin American Heritage Month 2021 on social media. As Beyoncé flips her hair, she says she likes to pretend she’s Dominican. This video of young Beyoncé went viral as it amused most people and even gave pride to the Dominican and Latin American community. Unfortunately, what Beyoncé is saying in this video is more complex than waving the Dominican flag with pride.

When I think about the Civil Rights Movement, the first image that comes to mind is Angela Davis giving a speech to thousands of people and empowering Black people for the movement. Outside of her words, her Afro stands out the most to me as it was plucked and rounded to perfection to beautifully cup her head. Angela Davis’ Afro became an unspoken, complimentary symbol to her revolutionary work as it expressed Black Power (Byrd & Tharps, 2014). As for most Black women, her hair spoke before she did in a powerful way.

After obtaining hairstyles such as braids, locks, twists, or even a wash and dry, we would most likely finish off with products to nourish the hair and scalp. Many Black families can identify that the key to sustaining and maintaining Black hair, no matter style or state, is moisturizing. Greasing our hair is a tradition, passed down from our African ancestors, using natural products and continues to be shared throughout Black families, even with our children.

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, many Black women have admitted to learning and experimenting with their natural texture for the first time in their lives. With less trips to the office and more time on zoom calls, the need for diverse hair content has never been more necessary.

“We’d like to hire you and we want you to start immediately. But before you do - let’s discuss your hair.”

This conversation, or one like it, has been the reality for many Black women entering the TV news business for decades. Degrees, writing skills, and a passion for storytelling aren’t always enough - sometimes it just comes down to your hair.

Brent Staples, NY Times Editor, was a graduate student at the University of Chicago studying Psychology when he learned incontinently that his mere presence was a threat.

Clinical psychologist and founder of PsychoHairapy, Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka, has blessed us with an article relating to hair and mental health. Ahead, Dr. Afiya covers it all—from struggling during a pandemic, to the consumerism craze surrounding mental health care, and how our self-care is reflective of our life.

The process of going natural can be a liberating experience for Black women who have suffered psychological (Robinson, 2011), emotional (McGill Johnson et al., 2017; Yancy, 2010), physical (Wise et al., 2012) and economic (Bryd & Tharps, 2014; Mbilishaka et al., 2020) consequences attempting to uphold Eurocentric beauty ideals.