Black Collegian News & Views

Gone are the permed and trimmed hairstyles we used to see on campus. Locs, cornrows, two-strand twists and other non-chemically treated styles are gaining popularity at FAMU.

Ebony Custis, a junior business student from Bowie, Md., has recently embarked on the natural hair scene, wearing twists, braids and Afros.

Ebony Custis, a junior business student from Bowie, Md., has recently embarked on the natural hair scene, wearing twists, braids and Afros.

"Your hair is supposed to be your glory, and I wanted it to be the way my hair was naturally," said Custis, who has been wearing her hair in natural styles for six months.

Custis said she used to have long hair that grew past her shoulders and she frequently wore permed hairstyles. She said her friends did not like the new look.

"They told me I looked like 'Afrika Bambada' and a revolutionary," recalled Custis while laughing. 'They said I went to an all Black school, and that's what happens to the Black students. They come back talking about Malcolm X and Mis-Education of the Negro. Now, they want to reject everything from the white man's world."

Custis said she did not think FAMU transformed her into a revolutionary. However, she said being surrounded by so many Black people did make her want to go natural.

Some students who have natural tresses tend to experience negative reactions or comments from friends and family. Statements like "I'll be glad when she gets her hair done" are common barks of negativity for those with natural hairstyles.

Kandace Taylor, 20, a third-year business student from Philadelphia, wears her hair in two strand twists.

Carmin Johnson, who has been wearing her hair in various natural styles, such as box braids and Afros for seven years, said she heard these comments about her hair.

"Living in Oklahoma, where the majority of the city is white and the KKK are still there, nobody would support me," Johnson said.

Johnson did not seriously consider natural hair styles until she was on the swim team in high school. She said she did not want to go "cold turkey" and cut off all her relaxed hair; so she let it grow and gradually cut off the chemically treated ends.

Johnson, who remembers begging her mom for a perm at six years old, said her mom was not happy about the natural crossover.

"For a long time, I was a victim. My mom would say 'Are you going to wear your hair like that to church?" said Johnson.

She believes the negative implications associated with the natural hair goes deeper than just style.

"It all goes back to the European worldview. The whiter looking you are the better," Johnson said. "You have to have long, straight hair, or 'good hair' anything else is considered less. What's that saying? 'If you're white, you're right; if you're Black, get back.' "

In African/Black Psychology in the American context: An African-Centered Approach, author and FAMU psychology professor, Kobi K.K. Kambon, uncovers the reasoning fueling negativity toward Black features. He notes in his book, "It is so common place among Africans in America to demean Black children, even one's own children or relatives for their dark skin color, 'big' ugly noses and lips, wooly/kinky/knotty hair, etc. and heap constant praise on Black children who looked the opposite."

Top: Denise Jones, 23, from Ocala wears her hair in locs.  Bottom: Valencia Jones, 27, is the owner of Mandisa Ngozi Braiding Gallery

Custis said she believes the media contribute to the negativity associated with natural hair. "The only natural hair that's considered beautiful is the natural hair that can curl up. If your natural hair isn't like that, it's not considered pretty," she said.

Custis added she favors the look of R&B artists like Grenique and Kelis because they are wild and feminine at the same time.

While others exude a Black consciousness to their natural styling, Jamaal McKnight said he likes the way his locs look.

McKnight, a sophomore pharmacy student from Tampa, said his nine-inch locs have become a part of his identity.

"If I cut my dreads [locs], then it wouldn't be me. I don't do it to please anyone or be righteous. I'm just me. I'm just Jamaal," he said.

McKnight said he never received negative comments but feels stereotyped by whites. "I remember being stopped [by police] three times in one night in Tampa," he said.

He believes Blacks with locs are frequently stereotyped as "thugs." "Old folks looked at me like I was a thug, but I wasn't," he added.