Healing Hair Trauma with Afrofuturism
By Natasha Gaspard
7 min read
Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Gérard Sioen/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
In my career as a television producer my focus has been on curating conversations around natural hair and beauty for Black women. How something as natural to us as our hair follicles can negatively impact us psychologically, socially, politically, economically and so forth is mind boggling to many. In my studies and research, in my conversations with people, and in my experiences it has become painfully clear that the root cause of our suffering is the oppression experienced by the belief in the ideals of white supremacy. Its effects (physical and psychological) show up in almost every aspect of our lives and our hair is, most definitely, one of them. The connection between our hair stories and our life stories are inextricably linked and these common hair and life experiences affect us as Black people no matter where we are on the planet. There are so many news stories regarding Black hair these days whether its about the billions of dollars Black women spend on hair care to dismantling hair discrimination with the CROWN Act to the epidemic of hair loss in Black women. These experiences are based on our commonly held expressed characteristic which is our truth, our essence...our African ancestry. In a world that was built on the ideals of white supremacy and systems put in place to uphold those ideals, you can imagine how that can cause all types of problems for us. So, I was wondering to myself what would happen if the idea of white supremacy just disappeared? In fact, what would a world look like where racism, discrimination, texturism, colorism, sexism, etc. was no longer a thing? I mean, what if it was totally eradicated? Can you even imagine it at all? Take about 5 minutes and try to imagine and explain to yourself...what would you be doing right now in this new world?
Well for one, there would be no need for me to be writing about Black women having hair issues! But seriously...have you ever allowed yourself to think about it? Does it even seem possible to you? Where would you even begin...at the beginning? Fast forward to a distant future? For some who have resigned to accepting things the way they are because they have always been may feel some discomfort in thinking about it. I actually think that uncomfortable feeling is actually a great thing! Just the act of simply pondering these questions offers the ability to release a chain reaction of new thought. This is the exact process which, I believe, will help to get us out of this mess. By using our imagination!
During the pandemic I came across this book called Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture by Ytasha L. Womack. The author states that "Afrofuturism is a way of looking at the future and alternate realities through a Black cultural lens. It is an artistic aesthetic, but also a kind of method of self-liberation or self-healing.” “Afrofuturism is often the umbrella for an amalgamation of narratives, but at the core, it values the power of creativity and imagination to reinvigorate culture and transcend social limitations. The resilience of the human spirit lies in our ability to imagine.”
The prevailing narrative and experience around our hair is, unfortunately, oftentimes associated with feelings of negativity. However, that narrative did not originate from us or from within us. The horrific experience and the ensuing legacy that has plagued Black people in the United States for hundreds of years has had a negative impact on the way we see ourselves and that, of course, extends to our hair. To be clear, it’s actually not just the belief in white supremacy that is the issue. The issue is how we, as Black people, have come to see ourselves and how this outlook influences our behavior and attitudes towards ourselves. If you have any negative feelings about your hair, have you ever asked yourself where those ideas came from? These ideas did not begin with you. Our bodies and our hair have experienced systemic oppression that has caused us to experience physical and emotional pain and psychological stress. Heck, there are still states where it is still legal to discriminate against us based on our Black hairstyles, like braids and twists. Education about our natural hair texture is still widely misrepresented or non-existent in Cosmetology schools that exist to teach hair. Black women are currently experiencing hair loss at epidemic proportions. It’s no wonder we have ‘hair issues’! There are actual systems that are still in place that slam doors of opportunity shut. This is the current reality however, I believe that it doesn’t have to continue to be this way. In fact, the way in which we think about our circumstances can empower us to create a new way of being and therefore we are able to create a new circumstance, a new experience, a new way forward. When we change the way we see things and the things we see will change.
This is where we can use the concept of Afrofuturism as a framework for re-imagining our reality. I think it’s worth asking ourselves to think about what our lives could be like if we no longer hated our hair? Can we imagine a future of not having to deal anymore with the old narratives of our hair being a burden, a curse, not professional, or whatever other disparaging narratives that have dominated our psyches for so long? YTasha states that “Imagining oneself in the future creates agency and it's significant because historically people of African descent were not always incorporated into many of the storylines about the future."
We are worthy of creating our own narratives and placing ourselves into that narrative. A theme that legendary science-fiction writer Octavia Butler has championed and pioneered with her work. Butler is often called the mother of Afrofuturism where her work of creating alternate realities have reshaped the genre of science fiction. We are constantly learning about the erasure of African people’s accomplishments, creations and contributions to all areas especially in science, math, history, medicine and art. We are realizing more and more that not only have we been present in these areas but in fact, we created much of it! We have been there the whole time, unfortunately the presence and image of us has been non-existent to the world and within our own awareness. Afrofuturism allows us to see ourselves and to fully engage ourselves in our world. We give ourselves the freedom to expand our ideas into places, spaces, time and realms not thought to be possible before. This is creation at its best and this is where true freedom lies.
The term Afrofuturism has been around since the 1950’s and its tenets date back to the beginning of time but the momentum of how we are engaging with it and how far and fast these ideas can travel is steadily increasing. If we look at popular culture (where a lot of our ideas about our identity have been shaped) Afrofuturism is prominent in TV and films like Black Panther (Marvel), Lovecraft Country (HBO) and WatchMen (HBO). Here there are many tenets of Afrofuturism that are being expressed where ideas of ancestors, quantum physics, alternate realities and more connect with one another to demonstrate the power in which we have at our disposal and what is possible when we focus on the whole of who we are. Oh, don’t forget that Black people are at the center of it all!
What this actually looks like to me is us exploring and learning about the magical properties of our hair. The truth and the science about our hair (like our true history) has been hidden in plain sight. When the student is ready, the student will appear. There is scientific research and there is ancestral knowledge about our hair that is readily available to us if we actually think it's worth knowing about. Science is finally catching up and has the ability to explain what ancient wisdom has taught for thousands of years. Once we begin believing, it will show up. I am convinced that our hair is powerful. The natural hair movement of the late 60’s and this current one are proof to me that our hair has the ability to connect us to each other around the world. I imagine that our hair has many wonderful uses and abilities but the deepest and most beautiful one to me is its ability to remind us of who we really are! Our hair has been used to braid maps to freedom! Our hair is actually antennae…it is truly a gift! We are given gifts to open and to use. Are you using your special gift or are you regretting it? Once we believe in the inherent miraculous nature of our hair then we will never see it as anything less. And what others choose to say about it would never ever phase us.
I’d like for us to imagine our way out of our current reality by creating a world where what we really want is front and center. And that we believe that we can actually have it. This isn’t about wishful thinking. Allowing our natural gift of imagination to work for us in creating a totally different future can help us navigate the world we live in today. That is the beauty of time travel. It frees us to be free enough to create something new...that doesn't exist yet. If we use this reasoning we can understand that we are yesterday’s future right now. We are literally our ancestor’s wildest dreams. We can begin to imagine a world now that future generations will enjoy in the future. A world where this conversation no longer matters is definitely on my list.