>> WHETHER IT’S A FRESH CUT OR A NEW STYLE, HAIR IS A POPULAR FORM OF EXPRESSION. BUT THE HISTORY OF HAIR IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY GOES MUCH DEEPER. >> AND SO DOES THE IMPACT OF A BARBERSHOP AND A BEAUTY SALON. THEIR ROLE IN THEIR LEGACY HAVE DEEP ROOTS IN HERITAGE AND HISTORY. WITH EACH STYLE IS A STORY FOR A PERSON AND A PEOPLE. >> WHEN YOU’RE TALKING TO A BLACK WOMAN ABOUT OUR HAIR, YOU BETTER BE READY. HAVE A CUP OF TEA, COFFEE, MAYBE SOMETHING A LITTLE STRONGER BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT HAS BEEN SO MUCH CONNECTED, FOR BETTER AND FOR WORSE, TO OUR WORTH. >> ON THE SURFACE, BLACK HAIR IS AN EXPRESSION OF PRIDE. >> WHEN YOU LOOK GOOD, YOU FEEL GOOD. WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND SEE THEMSELVES LIKE, WOW, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THEY WALK OUT OF HERE WITH A DIFFERENT WALK. >> AND IT HAS A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY IN AFRICA. BRAIDS OFTEN INDICATED MARITAL STATUS, WEALTH OR RELIGION. BUT BEYOND THAT, PRIDE ARE THE ROOTS OF PAIN. >> SOMETIMES IN THE FIGHT. >> 1619 HITS. WE’RE ARRIVING HERE IN CHAINS WITH PEOPLE OF WHITE NOT RECOGNIZING OUR HUMANITY. SO DEFINITELY NOT OUR BEAUTY. OUR HAIR WAS VIEWED AS SOMETHING ODD, UGLY, AND LESS THAN. >> DURING SLAVERY. A HIERARCHY AMONG SLAVES EMERGED BETTER STATUS FOR THOSE WHO LOOKED MORE EUROPEAN, AS BLACK HAIR WAS OFTEN COMPARED TO THE WOOL OF ANIMALS, SLAVES WERE FORCED TO SHAVE TO BE CONSIDERED MORE SANITARY, AND MANY SLAVES WOULD BRAID HAIR INTO CORNROWS, WHICH OFTEN HAD HIDDEN MEANING. >> THE DIRECTION OF THE WAY OUR HAIR WAS BRAIDED, AND THOSE ROBES, WHEN WE WERE SENDING MESSAGES TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT THE PATHWAY TO FREEDOM. >> POST SLAVERY, SAW A BOOM IN CHEMICAL STRAIGHTENERS, OFTEN MARKETED AS IMPROVING BEAUTY AND SUCCESS, THE EFFECTS OF WHICH STILL EXIST TODAY. >> MY HOURS SLOWLY STARTED TO DECREASE. MY BOSS WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE WHEN ARE YOU GETTING YOUR OLD HAIR BACK? REFERRING TO THE LONG, STRAIGHT WEAVES THAT I WERE PREVIOUSLY. >> IT’S WHY MANY STATES ADOPTED A FORM OF THE CROWN ACT, CREATING A RESPECTFUL AND OPEN WORLD FOR NATURAL HAIR, PROHIBITING RACE BASED HAIR DISCRIMINATION. WISCONSIN HAS YET TO SIGN ON. IT IS AMONG THE MANY DISCUSSIONS INSIDE WHAT’S BECOME A SACRED SPACE FOR BLACK MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN. >> BARBERSHOPS AND SALONS. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE THAN JUST A PLACE WHERE INDIVIDUALS CAN LOOK GOOD. BIG BROTHER, YOU KNOW, CONFIDANT SOUNDING BOARD PREACHER BARBERS PLAYED A VERY SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN HOW THE COMMUNITY MOVED FORWARD. >> IN FACT, A BARBERSHOP WAS ONE OF THE FIRST BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES IN WISCONSIN. WHEN JOHN BIRNEY AND HIS FAMILY SETTLED IN LA CROSSE. WHERE DO YOU THINK OUR COMMUNITY WOULD BE WITHOUT BARBERSHOPS AND BEAUTY SALONS. >> THAT ALWAYS SAYS TWO BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE URBAN COMMUNITY IN PARTICULAR, THAT CAN CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF THAT COMMUNITY, ONE BEING THE BARBERSHOP, THE OTHER BEING THE BLACK CHURCH. >> AND AS CROWN ACT LEGISLATION GAINS TRACTION ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IT DEMONSTRATES AN ONGOING EFFORT TO EDUCATE. >> HOW COULD YOU STOP A PERSON FROM EXPRESSING THEMSELVES THROUGH THEIR HAIR? IT JUST MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. >> AND WITHIN THAT LESSON IS ONE IMPORTANT RULE. >> THE OTHER THING YOU DON’T WANT TO DO IS WALK UP TO A BLACK WOMAN AND TOUCH HER HAIR WITHOUT PERMISSION. >> DON’T TOUCH A MAN OR WOMAN’S HAIR. >> EVER. >> DON’T YOU COME TOUCHING OUR YOU’RE FEELINGS WILL BE HURT IF NOT YOUR HAND SLAPPED. >> A LESSON DELIVERED WITH A SMILE AND CERTAINTY. ONE OF MANY CHAPTERS IN A STORY STILL BEING WRITTEN. >> DERRICK ROSE A WHOLE MOUTHFUL OF LEGACY, TRAUMA AND CELEBRATION WHEN IT COMES TO OUR HAIR. >> WISN 12 NEWS. AND BLACK HAIR IN ITS HISTORY. ONE OF THE SUBJECTS IN TONIGHT’S PROJECT COMMUNITY SPECIAL. SO MUCH TO DISCUSS WHEN IT COMES TO JUST THIS SUBJECT. YOU CAN DO A SPECIAL ON IT’S. >> OWN STORY. COULD HAVE BEEN HALF AN HOUR, A HALF HOUR SPECIAL. >> ON THAT HALF. >> AN HOUR. I HOPE EVERY

Black History Month: ‘Hair’itage and History

Whether it’s a fresh cut or a new style, hair is a popular form of expression. But the history of hair in the Black community goes much deeper.

Updated: 7:12 PM CST Feb 26, 2026

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Anchor/Investigative Reporter

Whether it’s a fresh cut or a new style, hair is a popular form of expression. But the history of hair in the Black community goes much deeper and so does the impact of a barbershop and beauty salon.

Whether it’s a fresh cut or a new style, hair is a popular form of expression. But the history of hair in the Black community goes much deeper and so does the impact of a barbershop and beauty salon.