Happy 5th Birthday: Hair Discrimination Has No Age Limits

Event Details

Join Carmel Clay Public Library as it hosts Jantina Anderson of the Advancing Racial Equity Speakers Bureau. Jantina will present her talk Happy 5th Birthday: Hair Discrimination Has No Age Limits. The event is free but registration is required.

Dove USA reported, Black girls begin experiencing race-based hair discrimination due to wearing protective hairstyles (braids, afros, locs, and twists) at age 5. Further, a majority (54%) of Black women alter their textured hair to secure employment. Historic and current hair biases and discriminations will be presented with vibrant images, physical examples, and data. Additionally, black women’s and girls’ hair narratives will be shared to illustrate the lived experiences of hair politics. Ideally, attendees will leave with an understanding of how responses to Black/African American hair texture has and continues to perpetuate racism (internalized, systematic, and/or institutional) in America.

Jantina Anderson (she/her) is an Indiana University – Indianapolis doctoral candidate. Her research centers Black girls’ and women’s aesthetic choices, sense of belonging in institutional and corporate spaces, and resulting identity, agency, and success implications. Jantina’s work has been presented at various national conferences and published in academic journals. Additionally, she is a Fortune 500 HR Director, and a proud alumna of Clark Atlanta University and Michigan State University. Outside of her pursuits, Jantina cherishes quality time with her husband and two daughters while residing in the Indianapolis, Indiana area.

Note: This event is part of Indiana Humanities’ Advancing Racial Equity Community Read program.