Jada Pinkett-Smith's Hair Loss Confession Shines a Light on Alopecia in Black Women

Jada Pinkett-Smith's testimony about losing her hair has brought attention to the fact that up to 47% of African American women experience hair loss. Experts from Headcovers Unlimited discuss how Pinkett-Smith's revelation will make a difference for other women.

In a May episode of “Red Table Talk,” Jada Pinkett Smith opened up about her recent hair loss, starting a conversation about an issue that is shockingly common, but rarely discussed: alopecia among African-American women.

“Well, I’ve been having issues with hair loss," said Pinkett Smith. "It was terrifying when it first started. I was in the shower one day and then… just handfuls of hair, just in my hands.”

Pinkett-Smith shared her fears, insecurities and treatment plan with her audience.

“It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear,” said Pinkett-Smith. “That's why I cut my hair and continued to cut it.”

Despite multiple tests, it is yet unknown why Pinkett Smith's hair is falling out. There are many reasons for unexpected hair loss in women; hypothyroidism, changing hormones, vitamin B deficiency, protein deficiency, anemia, physical trauma, emotional stress, and autoimmune diseases such as lupus are all common culprits. According to some doctors, it is likely that Pinkett Smith has alopecia.

“The term alopecia by itself really just means hair loss, and there are different kinds of alopecia,” said Danielle Yates, president at Headcovers Unlimited, a company that has been designing headwear and wigs for women with hair loss for over 20 years. “Based on our clients, it does seem like alopecia is more common in black women, especially traction alopecia.”

Traction alopecia is caused by tight hairstyles that pull the hair and cause it to fall out. Because of the hair routines of African-American women, such as perming, weaves, and braids, they are much more susceptible to traction alopecia, Yates explained.

According to a 2016 study conducted by Boston University, alopecia is indeed very common among black women. After surveying almost 6,000 black women, the study found that over 47% had experienced hair loss. While traction alopecia was a large cause for hair loss among African-American women, the most common cause was central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), a scarring alopecia in which inflammation of the scalp permanently destroys the hair follicles and replaces them with scar tissue. It usually causes hair loss on the crown, or the top of the head. This type of alopecia is overwhelmingly most common among black women. However, despite the large percentage of black women with hair loss, only 8% had sought treatment from a doctor.

“I think a lot of women feel embarrassed or ashamed by their hair loss, especially when its unexpected.” said Yates. “That, and a lack of knowledge about hair loss, are the big reasons why women don't seek treatment.”

Yates is hopeful that Jada Pinkett Smith's announcement will help change the way women think about alopecia.

“Jada is bringing awareness to this problem that affects so many women, but no one really talks about,” Yates said. “She's showing other women that its okay to feel afraid and insecure, but that hair loss is nothing to be ashamed of. She's telling them that they're not alone, and that losing their hair doesn't make them less than.”

It is significant that Pinkett Smith is seeking treatment, claimed Yates.

“Regardless of why Jada Pinkett Smith is losing her hair, the fact that she's seeing doctors and going through a treatment plan is letting women know that there are treatments for alopecia,” said Yates. “A lot of women don't know that this is an option. Seeking treatment is a good idea if their alopecia is causing scalp pain, as it often does with CCCA.”

Yates warned that women should be cautious about the treatment options they seek. “There are any number of snake oil treatments out there for hair loss. For whatever reason, hair loss seems to be a target for shady individuals who promise a miracle cure.” She recommends seeking treatment from a licensed dermatologist. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” she said.

In the past months, Pinkett Smith has been wearing scarves, turbans, and head wraps to cover up her hair loss.

“When my hair is wrapped I feel like a queen. I love having a wrapped head,” Pinkett Smith said of her latest fashion choice.

Yates believes that Pinkett Smith will become an inspiration and style icon to thousands of women with hair loss.

“[Pinkett Smith] is using her hair loss as an opportunity to up her style game. She's taking something negative and putting a positive and fun spin on it, and I think tons of women with hair loss will be mirroring her look soon,” said Yates. “She's also showing how fashionable scarves can be, which is great for women without hair loss, too. Wearing a headwrap in between stress-inducing hair styles can help prevent traction alopecia, and they look so elegant, as we can see on Jada!”

Sources:

https://www.headcovers.com/resources/hair-loss/

https://www.facebook.com/redtabletalk/videos/568229626909850/

https://www.aad.org/media/news-releases/hair-loss-in-african-american-women

Maxine Waters to those making death threats: You Better shoot straight

Auntie Maxine ain't scared!

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has addressed a series of recent death threats she said she has received, telling would-be threateners to "shoot straight" during an immigration rally on Saturday.

“I know that there are those who are talking about censuring me, talking about kicking me out of Congress, talking about shooting me, talking about hanging me,” Waters told the crowd in Los Angeles.

“All I have to say is this, if you shoot me you better shoot straight, there’s nothing like a wounded animal,” she added to cheers.

Watch Auntie Maxine make these comments below:

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams named West Point's first black superintendent

Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, a 1983 U.S. Military Academy graduate who has held high-ranking Army posts in Europe and Asia, will become the first black officer to command West Point in its 216-year history, academy officials announced Friday.M.O

Williams will assume command as the academy's 60th superintendent during a ceremony Monday morning in West Point's Jefferson Hall, school officials said.

The native of Alexandria, Virginia, has served as the deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Army in Europe and the deputy commanding general for support for the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea.

Most recently Williams was commander of NATO's Allied Land Command, based in Turkey.

The announcement of Williams' appointment comes less than a year after an African-American cadet and Rhodes Scholar was selected to take the top position in West Point's cadet chain of command. Simone Askew, of Fairfax, Virginia, was selected first captain of the Corps of Cadets last summer and graduated in May.

The academy recently announced that the more than 1,200-member incoming class of 2020 includes 186 African-Americans.

Williams takes over from Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., who's retiring after more than 40 years in the Army, including the last five years as West Point's superintendent.

[SOURCE: STARS AND STRIPES]

Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Tim Scott Introduce Bill to Make Lynching a Federal Crime

U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), and Tim Scott (R-SC), the only African-American members of the United States Senate, have introduced legislation to make lynching - the willful act of murder by a collection of people assembled with the intention of committing an act of violence upon any person – a federal crime. The Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2018 will amend the United States Code to specify that lynching is a crime in itself that would warrant an enhanced sentence under existing federal hate crime statues. Leader Mitch McConnell was recently asked about anti-lynching legislation and responded, “I certainly would support it.”

“It’s a travesty that despite repeated attempts to do so, Congress still hasn’t put anti-lynching legislation on the books,” said Senator Booker. “This bill will right historical wrongs by acknowledging our country’s stained past and codifying into law our commitment to abolishing this shameful practice.

“Lynching is a dark, despicable part of our history, and we must acknowledge that, lest we repeat it,” said Senator Harris. “From 1882 to 1986 there have been 200 attempts that have failed to get Congress to pass federal anti-lynching legislation, it’s time for that to change.”

"This measure is certainly well past due and I am glad to be able to join in efforts that will underscore the severity of this crime,” said Senator Scott. “This piece of legislation sends a message that together, as a nation, we condemn the actions of those that try to divide us with violence and hate.”

"It is never too late for our nation to express our sorrow for the decades of racial terror that traumatized millions in this country, said Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative and the founder of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, a national memorial acknowledging the victims of racial terror lynchings. “Passing an anti-lynching law is not just about who we were decades ago, it's a statement about who we are now that is relevant, important and timely."

The efforts to pass anti-lynching legislation date back to 1918, when Congressman Leonidas C. Dyer (R-Mo.) became the first member of Congress to introduce a bill on the subject. His bill, intended to punish authorities that failed to prevent lynching, was designed to act as a deterrent that would end the practice. His bill ultimately died in the Senate after facing stiff opposition. After 200 failed attempts by Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation, however, Congress is now prepared to right this shameful failure to criminalize lynching as an instrument of terror and intimidation used against more than 4,000 African-African men, women, and children during the late 19th and 20th centuries, according to data from the Equal Justice Initiative.

As recently as 2005, ninety (90) members of the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution apologizing to the victims of lynching for the repeated failure of the Senate to enact anti-lynching legislation. These senators expressed their deepest sympathies and most solemn regrets of the Senate to the descendants of victims of lynching, the ancestors of whom were deprived of life, human dignity, and the constitutional protections accorded all citizens of the United States.

This is the Senate companion to legislation introduced last week in the House of Representatives by Congressman Bobby L. Rush (H.R. 6086) and 36 members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The Justice for Victims of Lynching Act is supported by the following organizations: NAACP, Anti-Defamation League, and Equal Justice Initiative.

Text of the bill can be found here.

In addition to Booker, Harris, and Scott, the legislation was introduced by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Doug Jones (D-AL), Angus King (I-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

Congressional Black Caucus issues statement in defense of Maxine Waters

Unlike the current Democratic "leaders," Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, who have offered only criticism and no support to Maxine Waters after her comments asking supporters to confront those who work for Trump, The Congressional Black Caucus has stated their support of Waters:

“Congresswoman Waters has been a champion for justice her entire life so it should not be a surprise to anyone who knows her that she has chosen to stand up and speak out against something as unjust as separating young immigrant children from their parents and is encouraging others to do the same. This is who she is and this is who she will always be, and our country is better because of it. 

“In exercising her constitutional right to freedom of speech at a recent rally, Congresswoman Waters did not, as she has made clear, encourage violence, like President Trump has been doing since the election. She, instead, encouraged Americans to exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly by letting President Trump and members of his Administration know that separating young immigrant children from their parents is not who we are as a country. 

“We cannot forget that President Trump, as a candidate, encouraged his supporters to beat up his detractors at rallies, and, as president, morally equated white supremacists with anti-racist activists and encouraged police officers to beat up suspects. In fact, almost every day President Trump says something that makes this country more dangerous for people who look like Congresswoman Waters and other minorities. Where is the national conversation on civility in these moments? 

“Does the Administration have a plan to reunite the 2,300 immigrant children who have been separated from their parents? If so, where is it and when will it be implemented? These are the questions we should be asking. But, for some reason, too many folks find it easier to question the motives of the congresswoman who is protesting the unjust policy, instead of the president and administration officials who are implementing it.”