The battle for the souls of Black folks has been waged on many fronts. Hair has long been among the most contentious, from today’s braids and dreads all the way back to the intricate and symbolic ...

The same week his state outlawed racial discrimination based on hairstyles, a Black high school student in Texas was suspended because school officials said his locs violated the district’s dress code ...

It is just after noon inside Your Natural Image hair salon in South Kansas City, Missouri, on a Thursday in July. The 16-year-old Cornelius Mitchell has just come from under the dryer. Mitchell, a ...

September 20, 2025, marks four years since I loc’d my hair. To this day, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. For years, my self-worth was tied to my hair. I missed school and work when it ...

Cornelius Mitchell gets his locs retwisted by Your Natural Image stylist Mishelle Rice. The so-called Crown Act was signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on July 9. Missouri became the 28th state to pass ...