1. What social justice topic are you interested in?  Why?

The social justice topic I’m considering for my research paper is the discrimination against African American hair in the workplace and school. I chose this topic, because I too, along with many other people, have experienced discrimination for my hair texture in the workplace.  

2. What do you think your main argument will be?

My main idea would be the growing problem of discrimination against African-American adults in the workplace work as well as children at school due to their hair. Although America has progressed so much from racism and Jim crow laws, prejudice and discrimination are still an ongoing issue. Black women, in particular, are targeted for their hair texture, while others are not. My main argument would make clear that the discrimination against the texture of African American hair is a race-based issue that needs to stop being disguised as a dress code/policy conflict.

3. What have you found in your research so far? 

Taking a closer look into what hair discrimination is and how it hurts the people affected by it, I found that discrimination against hair is targeted to one demographic, and that is black people, specifically black women. I found that black women feel twice as pressured as white women to conform to the workplace. In my research, I discovered that hair discrimination leads back to eurocentric beauty standards I also found that the natural hair movement is a social movement that was aimed at helping black women gain confidence in their hair. 

4. What kind of evidence will you need to find to support your argument?

   To support my argument, I plan on presenting testimonials from black women and parents of black students sharing their experiences first hand. Other devices of evidence I plan on using would be statistics. I want to show the readers I have done the necessary research to explain my argument. I will add facts, reports, studies, and a summary of the background on the topic to back up my claims.

5. What counter-arguments will you have to consider?

Counter-arguments will come from workplaces or schools that will try to disguise the discrimination of black people’s hair as a dress code or policy. They will argue that their policy and dress codes have been the same for years and do not embody discriminatory policies.

  6. What will be the biggest challenge(s) for you in writing this paper?

     The biggest challenge for this topic will be to have others understand that this a real issue that deserves attention. Many people are under the misconception that “hair discrimination” is just companies and schools having specific dress codes or policies that African Americans may not agree with. However, in actuality, these dress codes and policies are discriminatory in themselves. I think my biggest challenge in writing this paper will be to get the reader to see that the dress codes and policies that companies and schools protect are a part of the problem.