(Originally published by The Yale Review on May 18, 2025.)

How the Black dandy used clothing to challenge authority

Most black kids who grew up in “integrated” (read: predominantly white) neighborhoods or schools have a story to tell about white kids trying to play with their hair. Typically, these stories are told as parables of humiliation, with the hapless Black child poked and prodded like a sideshow freak. My experience with this sort of attention was bittersweet. It involved a very attractive and popular blond senior who thought nothing of sidling up to a freshman and, uninvited, pushing her lacquered nails through my tight curls. It’s so springy! How do you comb it? Do you get bed head, or does it just bounce back? I froze as a smirking crowd gathered, then decided there was nothing to do but roll with it.

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