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Black Female Lawmakers Object To Army's 'Discriminatory' Ban On ...

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 11:30 AM PDT

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Not everyone is feeling the Army's new hair ban, which some say targets the various hair styles worn by African-American women. Now member of the Congressional Black Caucus have taken issue with the ban as well.

16 women in the Congressional Black Caucus sent Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel a letter expressing their objection to the Army's Regulation 670-1, which highlights new rules in regards to tattoos, hairstyles, uniforms and grooming.

The new rules in regards to hair bans twists, dreadlocks, multiple braids and cornrows that are bigger than a quarter of an inch. Army spokesman Paul Prince told the Army Times that twists and dreadlocks have been barred since 2005, but these regulations go into more detail about specific hairstyles.

Here's the letter from the women of the CBC:

Though we understand the intent of the updated regulation is to ensure uniformity in our military, it is seen as discriminatory rules targeting soldiers who are women of color with little regard to what is needed to maintain their natural hair.

African American women have often been required to meet unreasonable norms as it relates to acceptable standards of grooming in the workplace. [...]

Army officials have responded to criticism of the regulation by saying it applies to all soldiers regardless of race, and that they are meant to protect their safety. However the use of words like "unkempt" and "matted" when referring to traditional hairstyles worn by women of color are offensive and biased. The assumption that individuals wearing these hairstyles cannot maintain them in a way that meets the professionalism of Army standards indicates a lack of cultural sensitivity conducive to creating a tolerant environment for minorities.

The letter was signed by Reps. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) and Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), as well as Delegates Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Donna Christensen (D-V.I.).

The Army has not released a statement, but previously said the rules were drawn up after surveying hundreds of senior enlisted female soldiers as part of a focus group led by a female sergeant major.

In regards to the new rules, Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs of the Georgia National Guard started a petition on the White House website calling on the Army to "allow professional ethnic hairstyles." It currently has about 15,000 signatures.

Jacobs also told the Army Times that twists are a popular style, especially in the field because they're easy to take care of.

"I've been in the military six years, I've had my hair natural four years, and it's never been out of regulation. It's never interfered with my head gear," added Jacobs, who wears her hair in two twists.

Although some people are of the notion that when you join the Army, you become "theirs and you do as they say", others feel as though if you're willing to die for a country and go to battle, the least of their worries should be if your twists are not under regulation.

New Regulation on Black Female Hairstyles in the Army | Beauty High

Posted: 02 Apr 2014 09:45 AM PDT

us army hairstyle regulations for black female soliders

This week, an update to Army Regulation 670-1 (which is a guide to hairstyles that are and are not permitted in the army) banned certain hairstyles for African American female soldiers. Besides a ban on dreadlocks, the update also states that braids more than a quarter of an inch in diameter and twists are now unauthorized. While the regulations are put in place to ensure that headgear properly fits and so that the soldiers look neat and conservative, the new update raises a few questions.

Twists and dreadlocks have been banned since 2005, but only with the latest regulations were certain hairstyles noted. For the female African American soldiers who have been serving for years, the regulation is particularly unsettling. "I've been in the military six years, I've had my hair natural four years, and it's never been out of regulation. It's never interfered with my head gear," Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs, of the Georgia National Guard, who wears her hair in two twists, told the Army Times.

MORE: 12 Problems Only Girls With Natural Hair Understand

Jacobs started a White House petition this week opposing the updates to Regulation 670-1, which already has over 6,000 signatures. In the petition, she states, "Females with natural hair take strides to style their natural hair in a professional manner when necessary; however, changes to AR 670-1 offer little to no options for females with natural hair." As far as how she'll proceed with these new regulations, Jacobs says, "I talked to my first sergeant, and he said we would [face non-judicial punishment] if we're out of reg, so I either get a wig or be NJPed, all because of the way my hair grows naturally."

While it's understandable that the army would regulate hairstyles — men all get a buzz cut, so it makes sense women would be subject to hairstyle regulations as well — the new regulation lacks the proper education about how natural hair grows and can be styled. If women in the military need to resort to wearing wigs to avoid punishment, it seems that the regulations may need to be re-designed.

Image via Army Times

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