The Good Hair - Bad Hair Controversy

Opray did a interesting show with Chris Rock on his new movie that's coming out next week called good hair. Hair is a controversial subject and obviously a huge part of many African Americans self image. This is a subject that's both controversial and enlightening for many people African American and non African Americans alike.

In fact, according to Target Market News a Black marketing publication, African Americans spend more on Black hair care products than we do on annual medical exams or college tuition. But my only issue is although we spend over 6 billion dollars on hair care products our communities benefit very little from it.

Based on a recent University of California study that 6 billion dollars African Amercans spend on hair products leave the community, never to return again. Many reasons have been noted in this study. For one their is little or no Black distributors, suppliers or manufacturers. Many ask the question why?

This is another industry that does an excellent job of making money off the Black community without financially benefiting them. Many claim until African American’s find out how and why that keeps happening we'll always be a day late and dollar short financially in our communities. That's the Elephant in the room we have to talk about or risk being a permanent under class like Dr. Claude Anderson predicted 30 years ago. Dollars in African American communities recycle the least as compared with Jewish communities 20 times, Asian Communities 17 times, Latino communities 9 times, Black communities 1 - 2 times.

The good hair - bad hair controversy will no doubt continue. But hopefully the group of movies and documentaries out now will help to spark intelligent dialogue. This conversation has taken place behind closed doors by many African Americans for decades. Now it's finally out in the open - and that's a good thing about the good hair - bad hair controversy.