Black Student- Athlete Pressured to Remove Hair Beads or Forfeit Competition

A disturbing video has gone viral on social media and it has many questioning the validity of recent discrimination laws. On April 5, filmmaker and author Tariq Nasheed posted a video on Instagram and Twitter showing a young, Black student-athlete surrounded by her teammates and coaches (all of whom are White, except for two) as they frantically removed beads from her hair. The caption reads, “A Black girl in a powerlifting competition was told by one of the judges she could not continue to compete with beads in her hair. So other girls in the competition helped her remove her beads so she wouldn’t be disqualified. I thought that ‘Crown Act’ was supposed to stop this.” Instagram user replies include, “…they trying to get them breads out fast as hell she probably the strongest one on the team,” “Mayo fingers moving with pride,” and “You can’t wear jewelry either. It’s not about her hair. It’s the hard beads. That’s all.” The C.R.O.W.N. act, which stands for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” was created to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyle and hair texture and signed on July 3, 2019, in California. According to the C.R.O.W.N. Act’s website, Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from work due to their hair, and 80% of Black women said they “…have to change [their] hair from its natural state to fit in at the office.” So, why didn’t the C.R.O.W.N. act save this student-athlete from discrimination at a powerlifting competition? As of now, similar laws have been passed in various states. However, the C.R.O.W.N. Act must pass the Senate before landing on President Biden’s desk to be signed. Why You Need to Know: ANYTHING to disqualify us, including hair beads which cannot interfere with powerlifting. This is a grown woman’s jealousy of a Black child’s beautifully decorated hair because she could NEVER! On Serena and Venus Williams, I will cause a SCENE if you threaten me by my hair! Call every social justice activist until the NAACP shows up. I bet they’d change their tune then! (SOURCE: REVOLT)