FrOtober: A Stand Against Discrimination
In 2018, singer/songwriter Solange Knowles soulfully rocked the world with her captivating single “Don’t Touch My Hair”. Even though Many praised her for paying homage to the coils, kinks and curls that naturally sprout from our heads, the world is not entirely ready to accept black women exactly as God intended us to be.
October is Black History Month and is the perfect time to continue speaking on the various issues affecting black and brown people worldwide.
It is no secret that the entertainment industry is one of the harshest spaces for black women. Nathalie Emmanuel, best known for her roles in the FAST & FURIOUS franchise as well as Emmy® nominated series “Game of Thrones” and “Die Hart,” joins this year’s FrOtober Afro hair campaign to stand against hair discrimination.
For the annual celebration of Afro hair throughout October, FrOtober founder and CEO of natural hair brand Jim + Henry, Tammy Facey, has reached out to celebrities, MPs, and authors to understand hair prejudice and demand an end to natural hair bias in 2021.
“I have so many stories,” says Emmanuel. “Once on a job, they made me straighten my hair because there was another mixed-race woman actor (with natural hair) and I was told no one would be able to tell us apart. And my hair was destroyed by the end.”
It is not just actors who experience this. A pupil was last week excluded from a Nottingham school over their natural hair style.
15-year-old Tyrelle Richards was excluded from Ellis Guilford school, part of the Creative Education Trust, at the start of the new school year. The school claimed his hair style, which he has worn since he attended in year 7, breaches its school policy. We have contacted Members of Parliament about his case.
FrOtober will change perceptions of natural hair. Besides Nathalie we will be speaking to local MPs, author and lecturer Kehinde Andrews and many more.
If your interested in taking part in #FrOtober, post a photograph of yourself with natural hair using the hashtag #FrOtober.
Visit www.jimandhenry.com or follow on Instagram @_jimandhenry_ and Facebook @jimandhenry
photo credit: pnw production & www.jimandhenry.com
