The Great Bonnet Debacle

Black women are constantly being told what to do, what we could do, should do, etc…. Even what respect looks like. We have always had to balance and break the chains that have tried to keep us bound. Respectability politics used to be one of the laws of survival for black people. Our pain aversion to healing, makes moving past desired acceptance rather difficult. Every aspect of our lives seems to be a "thing."

Even a bonnet is not just a bonnet. It has been a status and class symbol, a way to protect, as well as a force of shame and dominance. Black women’s hair is so powerful, there were laws made against our hair. There is an urgency to reclaim our power, creating holes between generations. In this conversation , we raise questions of respectability politics and the necessity of moving forward for future generations to be free.