“Black Is Beautiful”: Social Politics Surrounding the Afro
Research Question: To what extent did the ‘Black-Is-Beautiful’ Movement of the 1960’s promote black expression and further debates regarding ‘natural hair’?
Background
In order to facilitate an understanding of the perspective of George S. Schuyler, the “skeptical Negro” who “debunks natural hair” and criticizes “Black is Beautiful” in the project’s main Special Collections source, it is first important to establish key information regarding his outlook. Born in 1895, Schuyler was raised by his conservative mother in Syracuse, NY, where he experienced the sting of racial discrimination due to the city’s small black population and the historical context of the time period. In 1912, …show more content…
In the United States specifically, it was an age which underscored the need for the liberation of the black identity, as well as perceived the emergence of outlets for black empowerment and expression. The slogan “Black is Beautiful”- interpreted as a movement for the purpose of this paper- was popularized in the 1960’s by the Black Power
Movement. It worked towards Black Power’s goals regarding racial pride, as well as encouraged African-American women and men to stop straightening their hair in an attempt at concealing their natural features. In large part, the propagation of this sentiment was responsible for the re-emerging popularity of the Afro hairstyle in the United States (Black Power).
Analysis and …show more content…
Therefore, this is where his formerly established background can be taken into consideration. He represents just one side of the story, and ultimately fails in seeing the wearing of natural hair for anything more than militant politics with negative implications. Therefore, in the face of criticism, it can still be confidently stated that the “Black is Beautiful” Movement succeeded in its central purpose of inspiring black expression, as well as “[making] African Americans totally and irreversibly proud of their racial and cultural heritage" (Black
Research Question: To what extent did the ‘Black-Is-Beautiful’ Movement of the 1960’s promote black expression and further debates regarding ‘natural hair’?
Background
In order to facilitate an understanding of the perspective of George S. Schuyler, the “skeptical Negro” who “debunks natural hair” and criticizes “Black is Beautiful” in the project’s main Special Collections source, it is first important to establish key information regarding his outlook. Born in 1895, Schuyler was raised by his conservative mother in Syracuse, NY, where he experienced the sting of racial discrimination due to the city’s small black population and the historical context of the time period. In 1912, …show more content…
In the United States specifically, it was an age which underscored the need for the liberation of the black identity, as well as perceived the emergence of outlets for black empowerment and expression. The slogan “Black is Beautiful”- interpreted as a movement for the purpose of this paper- was popularized in the 1960’s by the Black Power
Movement. It worked towards Black Power’s goals regarding racial pride, as well as encouraged African-American women and men to stop straightening their hair in an attempt at concealing their natural features. In large part, the propagation of this sentiment was responsible for the re-emerging popularity of the Afro hairstyle in the United States (Black Power).
Analysis and …show more content…
Therefore, this is where his formerly established background can be taken into consideration. He represents just one side of the story, and ultimately fails in seeing the wearing of natural hair for anything more than militant politics with negative implications. Therefore, in the face of criticism, it can still be confidently stated that the “Black is Beautiful” Movement succeeded in its central purpose of inspiring black expression, as well as “[making] African Americans totally and irreversibly proud of their racial and cultural heritage" (Black