On Monday, CNN’s “New Day” ran a five-minute segment touting how U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson was inspiring “a generation of women” with her hairstyle.
Network correspondent Adrienne Broaddus opened her report by saying, “Judge Jackson isn’t only changing the image of justice but the image of beauty.”
Broaddus’ report then highlighted Jackson’s confirmation hearings which a hairstylist and her customer in Chicago described to CNN as “empowering” and “inspiring.”
“If confirmed, Jackson becomes the first black woman serving as a justice,” Broaddus said in a voice-over.
A Chicago mother told CNN, “It’s almost like one of those power to the people moments for all the black women denied opportunities.”
“She stands for the essence and the embodiment of blackness,” the mother added. “What she symbolizes is the pride in embracing who you are.”
A black female Chicago attorney decried that she had not been able to be her “authentic self in the workplace” with her hairstyle.
CNN’s Broaddus stated in her voice-over, “Hair is essential to black culture and often misunderstood.”
Following the segment, Broaddus concluded, “Acceptance is the overarching theme here. You know, historically, black hair or natural hair has been viewed as unattractive. It’s always been the straighter, the prettier. And for little brown girls and black girls and even women my age, hair is loaded with so many messages. It has the power to dictate how others treat you and how you feel about yourself.”
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