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| Top - Sofia Pertuz in Chicago with new hairstyle, Bottom Left - Book Cover for Presumed Incompetent, Bottom Right - Sofia Pertuz with book co-editor Carmen G. Gonzalez |
I have a confession to make. I presumed someone incompetent. I felt bad,
took action to reverse that presumption and then I redeemed myself. Please let me explain. A few weeks ago, I took
a leap of faith with my hair that really made me think about how natural it is
to profile each other based on misconceptions.
I was in Chicago attending a conference planning meeting for an
organization in which I have a leadership role.
Since I got there early I took a walk to get something to eat. I happened to walk by a beauty school that
offered, “great deals for walk in clients” and I was sold. I imagined my 10 year old daughter laughing and saying,
“Mami, you even got your hair done on
sale?” But who could resist a good sale? I thought it would be pretty simple, but
nothing ever is. Anyone who knows me
well is aware that I have become my own best hair stylist because I have an
aversion to hair salons since I am usually not too happy with the results.
As an Afro-Latina, I have been
blessed with what some would label “Black hair,” but I choose to straighten it with
chemical relaxers (still working up the courage to stop doing that, but that’s
a blog for another day). The thing that
gave me the nerve to walk in was seeing in the window that most of the hair
stylists in training appeared to be African American. What can go wrong if Black women are handling
my Black hair? So in I went to ask how much.
The price was right, but can I really consider signing a waiver (yikes!) to allow a stylist
in training to work on my hair? I walked out not really sure if I could really go through with it. I even called
in support from my husband who has entertained many a hair salon worry
conversation with me. He encouraged me
to take a chance, so that’s what I did and I went back to the beauty school.
So here is when I admit to my
shameful presumption of incompetence of another human being. I took one look at the young White woman who
was introduced to me as my stylist and almost ran out. Yes, I am ashamed to
admit that in that moment, I completely profiled her. Based on my biased outlook, I was convinced
that a White woman would not know how to handle Black hair. But then I stopped myself and had an inner
dialogue (more like an argument) about how I suspect that I have been profiled
in many instances, especially in academia and how much I hate the thought of it. I reminded myself how I really wish we could
live in a world that could function with courage, hope and openness to move
past stereotypes and preconceived notions and give each other the benefit of
the doubt. I also knew that if someone
in the same situation called me, I would tell that person to stop being silly
and to give this young White woman a chance.
How is she going to learn the complexity and intricacies of Black
women’s hair if she does not get the experience to handle it?
This situation reminded me of a
book I read that was recently published titled, Presumed Incompetent: the Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia edited by Gabriella Gutierrez y Muhs, Yolanda Flores Niemann, Carmen
G. Gonzalez and Angela P. Harris. This
excellent book is a collection of stories from brave women in academia who
share experiences about how because of their identities, they had been underestimated,
insulted, belittled, doubted, denied tenure, and the list goes on. Women of color in higher education have been trying to successfully work against stereotypes
and have been and will continue to do great things despite being presumed incompetent. I had the pleasure
of meeting Carmen G. Gonzalez when I attended her presentation at Columbia
University (see picture above) and it is clear that we have a long way to go,
but exposing some of these heinous situations has been a start to bringing
awareness.
So back to the hair - I took a deep
breath and signed the waiver. Two hours
later, I was glad I did. The stylist in
training did a fantastic job on my hair and in the process (no pun intended) we had a great chat
about life, following your passions and taking active steps to realize your
goals. This young lady had moved to
Chicago from Michigan and left her planned college path to pursue a cosmetology
degree and license. Despite her family’s disapproval, her dream is to open her
own salon one day. We were having such a
pleasant conversation that I didn’t even get upset when she admitted to me that
mine was the first human head on which she was able to practice her hair
relaxing skills. I was so impressed by
her bravery and thought about the times I held myself back from following my
dreams because I thought others around me might not approve. It turned out to
be an unexpectedly affirming day. Not only did I get a nice hairstyle, I also
received lessons in keeping my mind open, actively working against presuming
incompetence and taking risks to follow your dreams. Not bad for a day in the windy city.
