The journey toward the liberation of Black hair is far from over. It was only in 2019 that The Crown Act which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, was enacted in the United States, and currently, just 7 states in total have passed this law[1].

For Black people, hair isn't "just hair." Our hair is our crown, and the celebration of it as such is deeply woven into our ancestral history[2].

Black hair tells the history of our heritage, dictates today's trends, and speaks to our resilience as Black people as we move toward the future. Black hair will continue to be a symbol of strength, illuminating our identities- in whatever state we choose to wear our crown[1]. 

From bountiful afros to bold cornrows and Bantu knots, Black women have rocked beautiful hairstyles over the years. Many came and went, but some popular '90s hairstyles reemerged a few years ago when Black artists started wearing them again. 

Since the re-emergence of box braids, many Black celebrities have paid homage to the iconic '90s hair trend, including Gabrielle Union, Zoe Kravitz, and Tia Mowry. Not surprisingly, box braids and other braided hairstyles originated in Africa, dating back as far as 3500 B.C. [3].

However, there is still a lot that needs to be done today, we need to now enlighten those who are unfamiliar with the liberation that comes with freedom of choice when black women get to make decisions about their hair freely.

When Black women are provided with the opportunity to freely express themselves, there's a lot of self-empowerment that comes with it, even younger black girls then get to have different experiences of acceptance as opposed to rejection Black women have faced, as they grow up.

Presently, the line between appropriation and appreciation still lingers. From Bantu knots being coined "mini-buns" by the fashion industry, to baby hairs being credited to white celebrities, to locs being deemed as "pushing the boundaries" when worn by a white woman, yet "smells like patchouli oil" when worn by a Black woman[1]. 

It is important to acknowledge how colonialism has made it so that dominant cultures profit from the trends of Black culture even to this day.