I've posted this on some of my other personal social media accounts, and I thought it would be to post it in this space as well.
Last week, when at the Acapulco restaurant (in Lansing) with my friends, my hair was touched inappropriately by our waiter. The waiter literally grabbed my hair, and said “is this real is this all your hair?” I was honestly so taken back by this question so I just awkwardly chuckled and said “no not all of it”. I was visibly uncomfortable but he still went on to say “oh well i was thinking that cause its just so much hair”. I was truly mortified that someone would have this audacity. In the past, I’ve had people try to touch my hair, while inquiring about or “complementing” it (which is still not acceptable and very gross), but never in my life has someone just grabbed it and purposely insulted me. I decided to just leave the place as fast as I could. After which, I was just so upset and emotionally drained that I ended my night early. At that point I couldn’t talk to anyone, at least not about anything not pertaining to what just happened to me. What happened to me makes me so upset because that interaction was so incredibly racist and misogynistic. When that non black waiter consciously decided to grab my hair and question me; he actually questioned my womanhood, my blackness, and my existence. The dehumanization of Black women is so commonplace and accepted in our society, and that is an issue. No one should be assaulted or violated to any degree, especially in an establishment that they are patronizing. So last week, in addition to calling the manager and leaving yelp reviews, I made this post so that others, especially Black women, know that it is not acceptable to be treated disrepectfully. This is a call to speak out against the injustices that you face and to let you know that you have an entire community of people that will uplift and support you no matter what.
