When it comes to matters of beauty, the focus is on the female gender. Naturally, it does not matter whether a lady is white, black or Asian simple because, as they say – beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It means that all women are beautiful and deserve to be treated equally with respect regardless of the background. However, for long now, history suggests that the call for equal treatment has never got the appropriate answer. Evidently, the treatment of black women versus that of their white counterparts in the USA remains a huge concern. According to Thompson (2009), while the white woman faces almost nil obstacles, the black women remain on a struggling figure as she is always a direct target for discrimination and impunity. This is view; the paper analyzes how black women are perceived because of their features.
According to the video/article posted on HuffPost live (2016), the black woman’s hair is endangered. The post explains that the Transportation Security Administration has singled out black women to conduct searches as part of the routine airport security checkpoints. However, this does not apply to the case of the white women. It is unfortunate indeed that in this generation, such matters are handled inappropriately. It is vital, however, to note that security is a priority and nobody is above the law. It is the obligation of the associated security officers carry on their duties, but do so within the right framework. The act of grabbing a black woman’s hair, squeezing it from top to bottom signifies a great deal of disrespect and improper conduct.
Security bodies such as the TSA could explain that long hair, or “extensions” for this matter, may be used to hide weapons. This could be a fact. However, it should also be noted that the natural black woman’s hair does not allow her to grow it any longer to the comparison of the white woman. Then, most importantly, the extensions are also part of the hair. Even though there is a high chance that putting on the long extension could be used to hide weapons, there is also a chance that a white lady can hide a weapon in their hair. Then, are there double standards in the application of the law if only the black woman is the only target? Women organizations among other human rights groups have tried to intervene on the issue but as it stands, the discriminative perception on the black lady is a downgrade and lack of manners.
The class reading puts on emphasis on how to treat people on equal terms. Equal treatment shows a high level of dignity and value to the entire human race regardless of the origin and the color of skin. In addressing issues of security such as the TSA issue, associated parties have to be empowered and facilitated with the necessary equipment for such a purpose. For instance, there is a need for employees of security agencies to undergo a thorough training on how to handle people from different background. This could be done effectively through the organization of frequent workshops so that members of staff are consistently updated with the policy changes. Also, a clear directory has to be put in place to give a distinct way on which a victim could use to sue any security officer that conducts an extensive search without any justification. By doing so, the black woman’s perception will change for the better.
References
HuffPost Live. (2016, May 13). Retrieved from http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/highlight/this-black-woman-was-forced-to-have-her-locs-inspected-by-tsa/5519b0a178c90acaf90000b4?cps=gravity_4187_-4696404090853185684
Thompson, C. (2009). Black Women and Identity: What's Hair Got to Do With It? Retrieved from http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=mfsfront;c=mfs;c=mfsfront;idno=ark5583.0022.105;rgn=main;view=text;xc=1;g=mfsg
