07/31/2026
Before I even asked him last night, I knew my son was one of the young people walking around Tuskegee’s campus with a durag on his head. I asked his permission to tell this small piece of his story. He told me the rules against it have been there for years, but no one cares. The actual students and staff are other working class Black people who know the value of protective hair coverings so they can save their expensive hairdos for the moment it actually matters. It doesn’t matter that he has a durag on in chemistry class. Everyone understands he’s keeping his cornrows fresh for when he leads the band at the game on Saturday. He’s on a student budget (with band and other responsibilities) so he doesn’t have the time and money to get his hair done as often as it would require for him to look sharp when representing the school every weekend. He learned from me, in my words and watching me grow out my freeform lox, that people will judge you by looking at you and not liking how you represent yourself. They will avoid you. That’s a good thing. It saves the time of getting to know them before realizing they are shallow. My son is deeply loved and respected by his Tuskegee community, who respect his style and authenticity. Those who feel otherwise, stay out of his way. It’s a win win. We need to stop regulating what other Black people do to their bodies that have no affect on anyone else. I had this position publicly, before it was my son everyone was unknowingly talking about. Before people were claiming I must not have taught my child to respect himself because I told him he has the freedom to do what he wants with his own body. My son’s reasons for wearing a durag are simple, and everyone around him on campus understands. Because they too are Black. They know what a durag does. They know that what his hair looks like while he’s taking soil samples is irrelevant. But even if he didn’t have a reason to cover his head that makes complete sense to everyone around him, he still has the bodily autonomy to do as he pleases. Some people want to prove that they aren’t what white people think they are. That’s not my ministry. My family wants freedom.
