Diversity Office, CURLS host “Don’t Touch My Hair” event

The Diversity Initiatives Office and the Black History Month Planning Committee hosted an event on the significance of hair in African American culture. This special event is in collaboration with CURLS.

The main goal was to educate students on where natural hair styles came from in the black community and to encourage students to embrace their hair because it is natural. 

Hair in the black community is important because it ties to the pain and struggle African Americans went through. Black people naturally have thicker hair and although the stigma with the hair is surrounded by negative connotations such as “nappy” or “untamed,” it is actually an expression of pride and self–love. It is symbolic of their ancestors, family, friends, and culture. 

Held on on Feb.11, it was hosted by Diversity Initiatives Student Coordinator, Ashley McCray. She hopes to “educate people about the black community, promote self-love and show unity in the black community.”

She also provided three reasons why you shouldn’t touch her hair.

One, “I worked really hard on my hair, so don’t touch it. Two, a lot people don’t understand the true meaning behind black hair and why it is offensive to touch somebody’s hair and three, it’s just rude to walk up and touch people’s hair,” said McCray. 

The guest speaker for the event was USCA alumna Bradacia McCray. She spoke on the importance of the Moors people, hair stages and how slavery made black people lose their since of identity.

B. McCray said that “roads get hard for us, we know that, we’re black, it’s hard. But we live to fight another day. And we live to keep going each and every day. That’s what were known for.” 

A unique fact she shared was that braids were used to create road maps to freedom. She expressed that “we aren’t who they portray us to be, we are much more than people who were enslaved.”

However, she hopes that students on campus “continue to learn, know that learning never stops, it’s a continuation.”