When commenting on various hairstyles popular in the Black community, comedian, Paul Mooney joked, "If your hair is relaxed, White people are relaxed. If your hair is nappy, they aren't happy."
That sentiment seems to be no joking matter at the Transportation Security Administration. In July of 2011, Laura Adiele had her "poofy" hair molested by the TSA. Most recently, Isis Brantley of Dallas was at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on September 19, 2011. She made it through a TSA checkpoint only to be stopped again to have her afro searched. Apparently, the TSA was concerned Isis Brantley's hair might contain explosives. The intrusive search left Brantley feeling humiliated and outraged.
We can all rest easy, because the threat of Isis Brantley's exploding afro has been eliminated. It turns out Isis Brantley was not a terrorist and did not hide any explosives in her hair. She is a hairstylist, who proudly wears her hair natural.
The TSA simply has to find a better way to handle situations like this. There is an abundance of technology that can be used to detect explosives. It is completely unnecessary for the TSA to be poking around in people's hair. The TSA does stuff like this because they can, and they want to show you they are in charge. Think about it this way, when a unifromed federal officer is rummaging around in your hair, is there any question about who is in control?
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