It’s an exhausting experience that often makes people question whether to wear their hair naturally. Statistics show Black women are 80% more likely than white women to feel the need to change their hair to fit in at the office, according to 2019 research by JOY Collective. Black women are also 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair. Cooper also struggled with the idea, “especially growing up in a time where little girls like me couldn’t wait to experience what felt like a rite of passage — having straight hair. And because that feeling can stay with children through adulthood.” Rutgers Professor Patricia O’Brien-Richardson says “encouraging hair positivity from a young age is critical.”
Meet the 2026 New Jersey Leadership Collective Fellows
New Jersey Leadership Collective’s mission is to train leaders who are committed to moving the communities they serve and the Garden State forward. They aim to make progressive change to legislation and policies through building collective power and taking collective...