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Puerto Rico seeks to better support citizens with natural hair. Officials are trying to pass a bill to end discrimination against popular black hairstyles.
As spotted on Malacca island of magic is obviously dealing with some serious hair texture issues. In January Senator Ana Irma Rivera Lassén and Senator Rafael Bernabe proposed a bill that would protect Puerto Ricans who wear natural hairstyles from discrimination in employment, housing and education. The filing lists “tight coils or curls, kinks, stuck-in braids, twists, braids, Bantu knots and afros” as applicable styles protected by the bill.
On January 23, the two officials heard testimony from several citizens who claimed to have suffered financially because of their hair. “I'm 23 years old and I'm tired of this problem,” said Julia Llanos Bultrón, a teacher who has cornrows. “I'm very disappointed with a system that forces us to change the hair we're born with.” Mother Lorraine León Ramírez says NBC News that her youngest son, who wears an Afro, was banned from two schools until he cut his hair. “It was one of the worst experiences we've had as a family,” he added.
While the bill has received support from students, activists and many others question why hair needs express protection. Census 2020 References that over three million people live in Puerto Rico, many of them of African descent.
