0:00:00.953,0:00:03.922
I am from the South Side of Chicago,

0:00:03.922,0:00:05.846
and in seventh grade,

0:00:05.846,0:00:08.218
I had a best friend named Jenny

0:00:08.218,0:00:11.248
who lived on the Southwest[br]Side of Chicago.

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Jenny was white,

0:00:13.685,0:00:17.629
and if you know anything about[br]the segragated demographics of Chicago,

0:00:17.629,0:00:20.812
you know that there are not[br]too many black people

0:00:20.812,0:00:22.860
who live on the Southwest Side of Chicago.

0:00:22.860,0:00:24.133
But Jenny was my girl,

0:00:24.133,0:00:28.201
and so we would hang out[br]every so often after school

0:00:28.201,0:00:29.389
and on the weekends.

0:00:29.389,0:00:32.381
And so one day we were[br]hanging out in her living room,

0:00:32.381,0:00:35.676
talking about 13-year-old things,

0:00:35.676,0:00:38.894
and Jenny's little sister Rosie[br]was in the room with us,

0:00:38.894,0:00:41.931
and she was sitting behind me[br]just kind of playing with my hair,

0:00:41.931,0:00:46.062
and I wasn't thinking too much[br]about what she was doing.

0:00:46.562,0:00:48.913
But at a pause in the conversation,

0:00:48.913,0:00:51.117
Rosie tapped me on the shoulder.

0:00:51.367,0:00:54.024
She said, "Can I ask you a question?"

0:00:54.305,0:00:56.723
I said, "Yeah, Rosie, sure."

0:00:56.975,0:00:58.355
"Are you black?"

0:00:58.796,0:01:00.620
(Laughter)

0:01:00.747,0:01:02.796
The room froze.

0:01:02.809,0:01:04.032
Silence.

0:01:04.774,0:01:07.358
Jenny and Rosie's mom[br]was not too far away.

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She was in the kitchen,

0:01:08.464,0:01:10.427
and she overheard the conversation,

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and she was mortified.

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She said, "Rosie! You can't ask[br]people questions like that."

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And Jenny was my friend,

0:01:18.615,0:01:20.475
and I know she was really embarrassed.

0:01:20.475,0:01:22.015
I felt kind of bad for her,

0:01:22.015,0:01:24.798
but actually I was not offended.

0:01:24.798,0:01:29.837
I figured it wasn't Rosie's fault[br]that in her 10 short years on this earth,

0:01:29.837,0:01:32.535
living on the Southwest Side of Chicago,

0:01:32.535,0:01:35.342
she wasn't 100 percent sure[br]what a black person looked like.

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That's fair.

0:01:37.067,0:01:39.440
But what was more surprising to me was,

0:01:39.440,0:01:44.122
in all of this time I had spent[br]with Jenny and Rosie's family,

0:01:44.122,0:01:45.569
hanging out with them,

0:01:45.569,0:01:46.780
playing with them,

0:01:46.780,0:01:49.579
even physically interacting with them,

0:01:49.579,0:01:54.038
it was not until Rosie[br]put her hands in my hair

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that she thought to ask me if I was black.

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That was the first time I would realize

0:02:00.560,0:02:05.531
how big of a role the texture of my hair[br]played in confirming my ethnicity,

0:02:05.531,0:02:10.763
but also that it would play a key role[br]in how I'm viewed by others in society.

0:02:11.527,0:02:15.092
Garrett A. Morgan and[br]Madame C.J. Walker were pioneers

0:02:15.092,0:02:18.732
of the black hair-care and beauty[br]industry in the early 1900s.

0:02:18.925,0:02:22.794
They're best known as the inventors[br]of chemically-based hair cremes

0:02:22.794,0:02:26.607
and heat straightening tools[br]designed to permanently,

0:02:26.607,0:02:28.052
or semi-permanently,

0:02:28.052,0:02:31.422
alter the texture of black hair.

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Oftentimes when we think about[br]the history of blacks in America,

0:02:35.548,0:02:38.479
we think about the heinous acts

0:02:38.479,0:02:41.785
and numerous injustices[br]that we experienced

0:02:41.785,0:02:44.754
as people of color because[br]of the color of our skin,

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when in fact,

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in post-Civil War America,

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it was the hair of an[br]African-American male or female

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that was the known as the most[br]"telling feature" of negro status,

0:02:58.501,0:03:00.900
more so than the color of the skin.

0:03:01.380,0:03:03.798
And so before they were staples

0:03:03.798,0:03:07.678
of the multi-billion dollar[br]hair-care industry,

0:03:07.678,0:03:10.520
our dependency on tools and products,

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like the hair relaxer[br]and the pressing comb,

0:03:13.871,0:03:18.254
were more about our survival[br]and advancement as a race

0:03:18.254,0:03:20.815
in post-slavery America.

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Over the years,

0:03:23.192,0:03:25.656
we grew accustomed to this idea

0:03:25.656,0:03:31.224
that straighter and longer[br]hair meant better and more beautiful.

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We became culturally obsessed

0:03:35.320,0:03:39.073
with this idea of having[br]what we like to call ...

0:03:39.073,0:03:41.073
"Good hair."

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This essentially means[br]the looser the curl pattern,

0:03:45.889,0:03:47.487
the better the hair.

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And we let these institutionalized ideas[br]form a false sense of hierarchy

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that would determine what[br]was considered a good grade of hair

0:04:00.143,0:04:02.153
and what was not.

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What's worse

0:04:04.408,0:04:09.550
is that we let these false ideologies[br]invade our perception of ourselves,

0:04:09.550,0:04:13.077
and they still continue[br]to infect our cultural identity

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as African-American women today.

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So what did we do?

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We went to the hair salon every[br]six-to-eight weeks,

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without fail,

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to subject our scalps to harsh[br]straightening chemicals

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beginning at a very young age --

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sometimes eight, 10 --

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that would result in hair loss,

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bald spots,

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sometimes even burns on the scalp.

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We fry our hair at temperatures[br]of 450 degrees farhenheit or higher

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almost daily,

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to maintain the straight look.

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Or we simply cover our hair up[br]with wigs and weaves,

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only to let our roots breathe in private

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where no one knows what's really[br]going on under there.

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We adopted these practices[br]in our own communities,

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and so it's no wonder why today[br]the typical ideal vision

0:05:08.607,0:05:11.226
of a professional black woman,

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especially in corporate America,

0:05:13.246,0:05:16.657
tends to look like this,

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rather than like this.

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And she certainly doesn't look like this.

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In September of this year,

0:05:25.781,0:05:29.859
a federal court ruled it lawful[br]for a company to discriminate

0:05:30.022,0:05:35.432
against hiring an empoloyee based[br]on if she or he wears dreadlocks.

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In the case,

0:05:37.871,0:05:40.303
the hiring manager in Mobile, Alabama,

0:05:40.466,0:05:42.465
is on record as saying,

0:05:43.210,0:05:45.919
"I'm not saying yours are messy,

0:05:46.079,0:05:47.278
but ...

0:05:47.438,0:05:49.367
you know what I'm talking about."

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Well, what was she talking about?

0:05:54.007,0:05:56.287
Did she think that they were ugly?

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Or maybe they were just[br]a little too Afro-centric

0:06:01.812,0:06:03.930
and pro-black-looking for her taste.

0:06:04.775,0:06:06.721
Or maybe it's not about Afro-centricity,

0:06:06.896,0:06:10.872
and it's more just about it being a little[br]too "urban" for the professional setting.

0:06:12.129,0:06:15.889
Perhaps she had a genuine concern[br]in that they looked "scary"

0:06:16.056,0:06:19.372
and that they would "intimdate"[br]the clients and their customer base.[br]

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All of these orse are ones that are[br]too often associated with the stigma

0:06:27.335,0:06:29.797
attached to natural hairstyles.

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And this ...

0:06:32.167,0:06:34.220
this has got to change.

0:06:35.588,0:06:36.841
In 2013,

0:06:37.033,0:06:41.273
a white paper published by the Deloitte[br]Center for Leadership and Inclusion,

0:06:41.430,0:06:44.709
studied 3,000 individuals[br]in executive leadership roles

0:06:44.911,0:06:47.258
on the concept of covering[br]in the workplace

0:06:47.463,0:06:51.841
based on appearance, advocacy,[br]affiliation and association.

0:06:52.598,0:06:55.646
When thinking about[br]appearance-based covering,

0:06:55.860,0:07:02.716
the study showed that 67 percent[br]of women of color cover in the workplace

0:07:02.888,0:07:05.081
based on their appearnace.

0:07:05.632,0:07:09.842
Of the total respondents who[br]admitted to appearance-based covering,

0:07:10.050,0:07:14.427
82 percent said that it was "somewhat[br]to extremely important"

0:07:14.597,0:07:18.126
for them to do so for their[br]professional advancement.

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Now this is Ursala Burns.

0:07:21.402,0:07:26.892
She is the first African-American,[br]female CEO of a Fortune 500 Company,

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of Xerox.

0:07:28.912,0:07:30.777
She's known by her signature look,

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the one that you see here.

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A short, nicely trimmed,[br]well-manicured afro.

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Ms. Burns is what we like to call[br]a "natural girl."

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And she is paving the way[br]and showing what's possible

0:07:44.856,0:07:48.555
for African American women[br]seeking to climb the corporate ladder

0:07:48.730,0:07:51.559
but still wish to wear natural hairstyles.

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But today the majority[br]of African-American women

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who we still look to as leaders,[br]icons and role models,

0:08:01.089,0:08:04.345
still opt for a straight hair look.

0:08:04.508,0:08:07.239
Now, maybe it's because they want to --

0:08:07.422,0:08:10.559
this is authentically[br]how they feel best --

0:08:10.764,0:08:12.065
but maybe --

0:08:12.279,0:08:13.664
and I bet --

0:08:13.906,0:08:16.878
that a part of them felt like they had to

0:08:17.105,0:08:21.664
in order to reach the level of success[br]that they have attained today.

0:08:22.711,0:08:27.846
There is a natural hair movement[br]that is sweeping the country,

0:08:28.015,0:08:30.435
and also in some places in Europe.

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Millions of women are exploring what[br]it means to transition to natural hair,

0:08:36.175,0:08:40.083
and they're cutting off years and years[br]of dry, damaged ends

0:08:40.257,0:08:42.533
in order to restore[br]their natural curl pattern.

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I know because I have been an advocate[br]and an ambassador for this movement

0:08:47.645,0:08:49.882
for roughly the last three years.

0:08:50.182,0:08:55.294
After 27 years of excessive heat[br]and harsh chemicals,

0:08:55.567,0:09:00.895
my hair was beginning to show[br]extreme signs of wear and tear.

0:09:01.656,0:09:03.261
It was breaking off,

0:09:03.470,0:09:04.603
it was thinning,

0:09:04.851,0:09:07.535
looking just extremely dry and brittle.

0:09:07.755,0:09:11.197
All those years of chasing[br]that conventional image of beauty

0:09:11.389,0:09:12.185
that we saw earlier,

0:09:12.376,0:09:14.335
was finally beginning to take its toll.

0:09:15.676,0:09:18.302
I wanted to do something about it,

0:09:18.470,0:09:22.804
and so I started what I call[br]the "no heat challenge,"

0:09:23.002,0:09:28.771
where I would refrain from using[br]heat styling tools on my hair for 6 months

0:09:29.003,0:09:32.136
and like a good millenial,

0:09:32.357,0:09:34.323
I documented it on social media.

0:09:34.497,0:09:35.662
(Laughter)

0:09:35.835,0:09:44.268
I documented as I reluctantly cut off[br]three-to-four inches of my beloved hair.

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I documented as I struggled to master[br]these natural hairstyles,

0:09:49.738,0:09:53.890
and also as I struggled to embrace them

0:09:54.069,0:09:57.537
and think that they actually looked good.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I documented as my hair texture[br]slowly began to change.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
By sharing this journey openly,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I learned that I was not the only[br]woman going through this,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and that in fact there were thousands[br]and thousands of other women

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who were longing to do the same.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So they would reach out to me[br]and they would say,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Cheyenne,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
how did you do that natural hairstyle[br]that I saw you with the other day?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What new products have you started using

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that might be a little better[br]for my hair texture

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as it begins to change.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Or what are some[br]of the natural hair routines

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that I should begin to adopt[br]to slowly restore the health of my hair?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But I also found that there were[br]a large number of women

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who were extremely hesistant[br]to take that first step

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because they were paralyzed by fear.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Fear of the unknown --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what would they now look like?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
How would they feel about themselves[br]with these natural hairstyles?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And most importantly to them,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
how would others view them?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Over the last three years[br]of having numerous conversations

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with friends of mine and also complete[br]strangers from around the world,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I learned some really important things

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
about how African-American women[br]identify with their hair.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And so when I think back[br]to that hiring manager in Mobile, Alabama,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'd say, "Actually no,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we don't know what you're talking about.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But here are some things that we do know.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We know that when black women[br]embrace their love for their natural hair,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it helps to undo generations of teaching

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that black in its natural state[br]is not beautiful,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or something to be hidden or covered up.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We know that black women[br]express their idividuality,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and experience feelings of empowerment

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by experimenting with different[br]hairstyles regularly.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And we also know that when we're invited[br]to wear our natural hair in the workplace,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it reinforces that we are uniquely valued,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and thus helps us to flourish[br]and advance professionally."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I leave you with this.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In a time of racial and social tension,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
embracing this movement,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and others like this,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
help us to rise above the confines[br]of the status quo.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So when you see a woman with braids[br]or locks draping down her back,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or you notice your colleague who has[br]stopped straightening her hair to work,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
do no simply approach her and admire[br]and ask her if you can touch it --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Really appreciate her.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Applaud her.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Hey, even high-five her if that's what[br]you feel so inclined to do.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because this --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is more than about a hairstyle.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's about self-love and self-worth.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's about being brave enough

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
not to fold under the pressure[br]of others' expectations.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And about knowing that making[br]the decision to stray from the norm

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
does not define who we are,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but it simply reveals who we are.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And finally,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
being brave is easier

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when we can count on[br]the compassion of others.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So after today,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I certainly hope that we can count on you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thank you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)