Hair journey: a transmedia experience

Abstract

Black women in the United States are embracing their natural hair, but it’s not without controversy. Perception Institute’s “Good Hair” Study polled black and white women to see attitudes toward afro-textured hair. White women implicitly and explicitly preferred straight hair to textured hair. Hair discrimination in the United States dates back to slavery, extends throughout industrialization, persists in the Civil Rights Movement and is still seen today. Locks, afros, cornrows and other textured styles are viewed as unacceptable in some workplaces and schools. Men and women are told, directly and indirectly, to change their hair for a job or another opportunity. The CROWN Act was introduced in 2019 and seeks to make this discrimination illegal. Six states have passed the CROWN Act, and the bill is filed or pre-filed in almost 20 states. This project seeks to explore the opinions and treatment of afro-textured hair through first-person and historical accounts in an immersive journalistic experience. Please view my main project at http://hairjourney.joyrnalism.com