Jamaican Canadian Kayla A. Greaves on Black women and natural hair

Growing up in a Jamaican immigrant household in Montreal, Kayla A. Greaves has done a lot of soul searching about what it means to be Caribbean, a Black woman and a Canadian. Luckily, she’s a journalist and has the platform to talk about these issues in forums such as the Huffington Post, where she’s currently an editor. Most recently, she’s been writing on the issue of natural hair for Black women, including newcomers from the Caribbean and Africa.

For those who don’t know much about the issues around natural hair among Black women, can you provide us with a little education?
For Black women, our relationship with hair is so complicated. A lot of us were never taught how to take care of it and embrace our hair in its natural state, but rather we’ve been conditioned by society and even our loved ones to use chemicals to straighten it. Or to put in a weave. Or find some other way to hide it.

When you’ve been told all your life that what grows out of your scalp naturally is “bad” or “ugly,” you internalize it. And you start to believe that in order to be acceptable or attractive, you need to mould yourself into something you’re not.

So, it’s an issue of discrimination?
No other race has hair like Black people — and we’re very aware of that. But, instead of embracing our differences, society has made it loud and clear that we’re the “other.” And, until we started to really push back, society wanted us to force our hair to do something it doesn’t do naturally (be straight) in order to make everyone else comfortable.

It’s 2017 and people are still dealing with being sent home from work because they have their hair in braids, little girls are being harassed by teachers for having afros, and people can’t find work because they’ve chosen to lock their hair. It’s insane.

You wear your hair naturally now … what’s the reaction you have received?

When I first went natural I was terrified. All I ever heard growing up was negative things about my hair. So I really had to do a lot of unlearning before I mustered up the confidence to rock it.
And when I was wearing my hair in twists and braids to help grow it out, I got told I had gone from Halle Berry to Bob Marley. People even touched my hair without asking. The folks I worked with at the time acted like they’d never seen a Black person before (and, honestly, maybe that was the case).
But, once I finally went natural and walked outside with my curls out, I didn’t care about the rude comments anymore. I was just happy to be me.

Does the discrimination ever go back the other way — women with natural hair judging those who still choose to straighten?

This is a really great question. I wouldn’t necessarily call it discrimination, but I think more natural women ask women who use relaxers why they haven’t gone natural yet. Or see it as them hating themselves. In my opinion, I think it’s fine for Black women to wear their hair however makes them feel most beautiful — so long as it’s beauty on their own terms.

– CanadianImmigrant