Akilah Davis, the race and culture reporter from WTVD in Raleigh, N.C., revealed her natural hair as part of her own celebration of Juneteenth.
Growing up, Davis said she internalized the idea that straight hair was good hair and natural hair was not.
“The message really stayed with a generation of Black women in particular who really had to work to overcome the idea that something about their hair was inherently inadequate,” said Dr. Jasmine Cobb, a professor of African American studies at Duke University.
“The way that we as Black women think about showing up as our authentic self — it’s rooted in fear. The fear of will I be looked at as professional,” Said GMA anchor Janai Norman. “It takes courage. It takes strength. It takes resilience.”
“So moving forward this is how you’ll see me on TV,” Davis told viewers in a report on Monday, showing her natural hair. “And I’m hoping to inspire women and little girls struggling to embrace their roots.”