My Curls at Work

I decided to convert my vulnerable post regarding my natural hair that garnered such engagement here into the start of my first newsletter on LinkedIn. Since I posted it over a week ago, it has gained 7,731 impressions, 127 reactions, 19 comments, and 2 shares. Thank you to LinkedIn for providing us with Post Analytics tools!

Please let me what you think in the comments below and share what topics you would like me to address. It is my hope that through this newsletter, I can create a space that is safe and educational for all of us in sharing our experiences at work as Latinas and provide professionals who work with Latinas a better understanding of how to create an environment in which we can show up as our authentic selves without fear of repercussions and work together to produce work that moves the team along, equitably.

As a Bronx-based Dominican-American girl who grew up attending Catholic school from pre-k to 12th grade, I was constantly told my hair had to look “professional” at all times. The term professional was synonymous with blown-out straight hair that left no evidence of my hair’s true nature with multiple curl patterns. My hair in its true form was loud and free. It was a mix of round and bouncy curls that showed my roots. These messages of natural hair rejection came from my culture, members of my family and in all workspaces, I have been a part of since I was 15. I was mostly only complimented on my hair at work when it was straight or in a slick back ponytail that completely eliminated any remnants of curls being there. That’s sixteen years of being told your hair is not good enough to co-exist with the European standard of beauty in the world. Imagine what that can do to a girl. As women, we are beaten down. As women of color, we are beaten down even further and if you grow up in poverty, the odds are immediately stacked against you to persevere. When you exist in these oppressed categories, you immediately realize that your pathway to success will be dramatically different and infinitely harder than that of other women and men.

I was mostly only complimented on my hair at work when it was straight or in a slick back ponytail that completely eliminated any remnants of curls being there. That’s sixteen years of being told your hair is not good enough to co-exist with the European standard of beauty in the world.

I was mostly only complimented on my hair at work when it was straight or in a slick back ponytail that completely eliminated any remnants of curls being there. That’s sixteen years of being told your hair is not good enough to co-exist with the European standard of beauty in the world.

On March 21st, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act, banning hair-related discrimination in the workplace and I can only hope that this will protect so many of us that have been victimized and attacked for wearing our hair naturally. If you are a woman that has experienced this, comment below with your story. I want to connect and learn more about your experiences and hopes for the CROWN Act.

#hair?#crownact?#naturalhair?#workplacediscrimination?#womenatwork?#womenofcolor?#work?#culture?#latinxleaders?#latinas?#latinaleaders?#business?#professionals?#beauty?#school?#linkedin?#success?#experience?#engagement?#share?#network?#comment?#salute