Notre Dame of Maryland University is a private Catholic institution that provides a learning experience for a predominantly female population in Baltimore, Maryland. Within this schools very diverse population, is a hand full of African American female and male professionals who where their natural hair. In the past couple of years, stories have surfaced of black men and women experiencing natural hair discrimination in the workplace. The stories of natural hair discrimination vary from individuals being told that styles like dreadlocks, box braids, and afros are not appropriate in professional settings to people being denied a job opportunity because they do not have “the most professional look”. These cases have caused higher levels of anxietyin the workplace for African American professionals who are in limbo about wearing their natural hair.
Notre Dame admissions counselor and alumni, Jazmine Greene has prided herself on wearing her natural hair and protective styles, to symbolize her pride in natural hair. Jasmine explains that, although Notre Dame’s population of African American professionals is small, it comforts her to know that it is growing stronger every year with more men and women who live as their “most authentic selves”. This means more and more black professionals are joining the university’s campus wearing hairstyles like natural afro’s, wigs, faux locks, and so much more. Jazmine is one of many natural African American professionals who also mentor high school students transitioning into college on image in the professionalworld. Jazmine has traveled to high schools to partake in college days where they allow admissions counselors to guild the students through their transition into young professionals. She always makes sure to let African American students and other students of color know that picking the correct professional space to work in is about finding a place that does not make you feel like the outlier, but like a part of the team.