Symposium Year
2021
Preview
Start Date
3-20-2021 1:00 PM
End Date
3-20-2021 1:55 PM
Description
During my Design Seminar class, one of our assignments was a “Needed Design.” For this assignment we were asked to create something we think the world needs. I wanted my "Needed Design" to be Acceptance.
In the United States it is currently LEGAL to deny people from jobs, schools, and other public places solely because of the texture and style of their hair, which greatly effects black people. There are currently only 7 states that have passed laws to ban natural hair discrimination. (Virginia is one of them!) This resulted in Crown Act being created. The Crown Act stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” and it is a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists or Bantu knots.
I created an informational flyer to bring awareness to this issue. In my art, I love to capture the beauty of diversity, so I included female and male characters with different hairstyles and textures to show the beauty and versatility of natural hair.
As a black woman this really hit home because growing up I often felt pressured to straighten my hair to fit in with society’s standards. Representation is extremely important, and all hair textures and styles need to be represented because if people do not see things that represent them, then they may think something is wrong with them. As a result of this assignment, I was able to get people to sign a petition to end hair discrimination and shine light on a problem that many people did not even realize existed.