By Anthony Payton, Columnist, Granite State News Collaborative
Listen to Granite State News Collaborative Columnist Anthony Payton tell his story
Shaquwanda Allen, owner of Rootz Natural Hair Shop in Manchester, recently sat down with Granite State News Collaborative columnist Anthony Payton to discuss her journey as a business woman and the importance of hair in Black culture.
How long have you been doing hair?
My interest in braiding natural hair began at the age of eight or nine. I began braiding on a Barbie doll and quickly progressed to braiding my younger sister’s hair.I then began braiding my cousin’s hair. One day my cousin’s friend asked if I could braid his hair? My cousin replied “ yes, she can braid your hair, but you have to pay her.” He said “ no problem.” And then handed my cousin $60. After braiding my cousin’s friend's hair my reputation for braiding hair spread throughout the neighborhood; and soon everyone wanted to pay me to braid their hair. And thus, my braiding hair adventure began. From then, until now it has been about 23 years. Professionally it has been six.
Why is hair so important to Black culture?
One of the main reasons for getting a lot of the styles we get is for protection for our hair. Most of the styles are called protective styles. Black hair is also important to Black culture because. It shows off our personality, our emotions, and a straight fashion statement for us.
Black hair is also important to black culture because it’s a part of our history.For example, the enslaved that were planning to escape to the north used to braid the secret trail to freedom into the heads of each other. To the Black Panthers showing pride in their natural hair by wearing the afro at a time where the jheri curl and the hair perm was becoming more and more popular; due to the fact that we as a culture was at the time attempting to portrait our hair to look like white america, to be more accepted; to the loccing of our hair and embracing the spirit of our ancestors.
What are your thoughts on natural hair styles not being fully represented in the professional world?
It blows my mind. Because we were always told that our hair doesn’t meet professional standards. And that’s a lie. I feel they don’t understand our hair culture. I hate the fact that we spend so much time, energy, love, effort, and money to maintain our hair. To look and feel good in order to be our best selves and our hair styles are still not being accepted in some areas of the workforce and professional leagues.
The professional guidelines say that our hair needs to be neat, groomed, and maintained.
Yet, if I come to work with braids, locs, or cornrows that are neat, well-groomed, and maintained, why am I still being told that it’s not acceptable? It sounds hypocritical and another way we as Black people are held down.
For example, Adrew Johnson, an eleventh grader from Jersey who had to cut his hair or forfeit his wrestling match. Yet, the official rules of the league are as such, if a player’s hair is too long then they can choose to wear a cap. As long as it’s a legal hair cover that is attached to the ear guards. The wrestler that is opting to wear the hair cover must wear it to the weight-in procedure.
Clearly we can see his hair is up to par with the league rules, so why did they humiliate him by cutting his hair? I’ll leave that question in the air for the people to answer.
This is also one of the reasons I opened Rootz NHS. To give those who want to wear their hair in its natural state, a professional natural hair shop to keep them above par with any rules or codes in any workforce or league they may be in.
How should a person balance the need for them to be comfortable with taking pride in their roots, and worrying about how an employer may feel about the image that they portray with natural hair?
There shouldn’t have to be a balance to being comfortable in taking pride in your hair. There shouldn’t be any worry of how an employer portrays you because of your hair. The only thing you should do is find a stylist that makes you feel comfortable with your hair and beautiful in your skin and keep up with a regular regime of hair maintenance. And there should be no employer discriminating against you because of your hair.
I do feel certain career paths must receive certain styles in order for them to feel comfortable in the workforce; for example, I have a lot of construction workers who have to wear hardhats.
And I have to braid it back so that they’re comfortable with the hardhat on. But never because of what an employer might think.
What would you say to a young girl who is uncomfortable with her natural hair?
Come to Rootz NHS. I got her LOL. Nah seriously though, I would first ask her what about her hair makes her so uncomfortable. I then would tell her to embrace her hair because it’s her crown, and there’s no such thing as bad hair. There is only healthy or damaged hair. And if her hair is damaged then we can repair it back to its healthy state.
These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative as part of our race and equity project. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.