Congratulations!

Congratulations goes out to our first family, President Elect Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama! I watched in awe last night, and was full of pride, and hope. I am thrilled to say the least, America is ready for change!

Locs in the Workplace

Since wearing my locs in Las Vegas, Nevada I have met some resistance. Especially since I have worked in a corporate atmosphere. Remember, Las Vegas isn't the East Coast, or the South, nor the extreme West. Which means people are still very limited to the amount of exposure they have or will experience. Most of the black women out here in Las Vegas, Nevada unfortunately wear weaves. There is nothing wrong with a good weave, but that's the point, half the time they aren't very believable, nor nicely done. I just think the Black people here aren't exposed to their culture enough. Which brings me back to the point of wearing locs, or natural hairstyles in the workplace.

Again, I walked up in the financial institution where their is maybe 5 black people in the whole damn division out of 65. Needless to say, the upper management never questioned me about my hair, but my peers were definitely curious. I even had a woman state that she didn't think that my hair was appropriate. Of course I challenged her, taking it all the way to Human Resources. You see, I refuse to allow anyone to attack me because of my culture, or make me feel like I need to change who I am just to fit into their standards. I ensured my hair was maintained meticulously. I wore it curled, crinkled, in an updo. All sorts of beautiful looks. I always wore very professional clothing, and suits and left no room for naysayers.

So, take care when wearing natural hairstyles and locs in the workplace. Ensure you keep them groomed to perfection. No need to shock, and try to make a point with overdoing it with adornments. Remember, corporate equals to conservative. Wearing your hair naturally is making a point. The point that you are comfortable in your own skin, that you love and appreciate who you are, and that you will not apologize for accepting and being the real you.

Has anyone worn their hair natural in a corporate workplace? Got a story to share? I may place it on the web. Remember women of color need to read similar stories, to get the encouragement they need to be natural.