Sporting Braids in Boston

NBC Boston Anchor Latoyia Edwards wrote an op-ed piece for the Boston Globe about why she has decided to wear her hair in braids on the air.

For her, she says “t’s time for Black girls and women to feel empowered to wear their hair how they choose — and for society to embrace them.”

She says the wake up came from an incident with her daughter. “We were sitting in my car outside Nina’s middle school, where I was picking her up. She threw her head against the seat, exasperated, pushing her puffy ponytail into the headrest. Tears streamed down her face. She asked quietly, “Can I please get a relaxer to straighten my hair?”

As I lectured her about the many reasons to celebrate her natural hair, I caught a glimpse of my own in the rearview mirror — fried by chemicals until it was stick-straight. She had to be wondering: Mom, if natural Black hair is so great, why do you anchor the news every day with a relaxer and hair extensions? “

She points out that “As I progressed in my career, I would occasionally meet with “image consultants” at various stations I worked for. This is an industry, after all, in which appearance is highly scrutinized. Their feedback was indirect, but, reading between the lines, the message was consistent: Straightening my hair made me more appealing to audiences, again, of all backgrounds.

Similar messages are heard by women across the country every day. According to a 2019 study by Dove, Black women’s hair is 3.4 times as likely to be perceived as unprofessional in the workplace. We are also 30 percent more likely than other women to be made aware of a formal workplace appearance policy, the study showed.

Straightening one’s hair is no easy task, either. For me, the process meant visiting the stylist every six weeks to apply a chemical hair relaxer, which strips hair of its natural curls. That alone costs $200 a visit. Then comes the biweekly conditioning treatments, which prevent hair from becoming depleted of natural oil and vitality. Add to that hair extensions, which can run up to $1,000 for installation.”

She talked about the day she was told she could wear her hair as she wished. “I was nervous when I tapped on the door of my former news director at NBC10 Boston, Ben Dobson. I sat down and made my pitch. I explained how it made me feel to chemically remove the curls out of my hair every six weeks. I told him how I wanted to represent communities of color in New England in my full form. Ben listened, then asked for some time to look into it.

A day and a half later, the answer came in the form of a question: “How soon can you get your hair braided?”

Tears rolled down my cheeks before I could even respond.”

You can read the full piece here and props to Edwards for taking the stand and here’s hoping her message is heard by more than just Black girls, but by everyone.