Don’t Touch My Hair

As my hair grew, so did my activism

The author at 5 years old. Photo courtesy of the author.

Thuggish. Immature. Unprofessional.

I have heard it all when it comes to my hair. For years I listened and bought into what everyone told me. How could I not? I was a teenager fighting a racist family court system for custody of my son. I was a young Black man trying to navigate the professional world. I am an African who has been placed in a…