In an exclusive interview at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 53rd Annual Legislative Conference, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, elected in 2018 and represents Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District, discussed her ongoing fight to protect Black women from harmful chemicals in hair relaxers.
The conference, themed “A Call to Strengthen American Democracy and Protect Essential Liberties,” provided a fitting backdrop for a conversation highlighting the intersection of health, identity, and systemic racism in America.
“For Black women, the personal is political, and how we wear our hair and how we show up in the world is certainly no different,” Rep. Pressley began, addressing the deep-rooted history of Black hair being politicized. “For generations, systemic racism and anti-Black hair sentiment have forced Black women to navigate the extreme politicization of our hair.” She emphasized how this bias has manifested in schools and workplaces, where Black people have been “criminalized, punished, and overlooked” for simply wearing their natural hair.
Pressley, who lives with alopecia totalis, a condition that results in complete hair loss, spoke personally about the importance of showing up authentically. “As a Black woman living with alopecia, who’s very aware of how I show up in rooms and just how I show up in and of itself can be disruptive, I want everyone to be able to show up in the world fully, authentically, and unapologetically without fear and without discrimination.”
The congresswoman’s fight to ban harmful chemicals in hair relaxers stems from mounting evidence linking the products to serious health risks, including breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers. Hair relaxers often contain dangerous chemicals like formaldehyde-releasing agents and phthalates, which disrupt hormones and are suspected carcinogens. A landmark National Institutes of Health (NIH) study found that women who used hair relaxers were 18% more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, a statistic that disproportionately affects Black women, who often use these products more frequently and from a younger age.
“As a result of systemic racism, Black women have turned to straightening or relaxing our hair as an attempt for social and economic mobility,” Pressley explained. “But regardless of how we wear our hair, we should be able to show up in the world without putting our health at risk, and these manufacturers should be prevented from making a profit at the expense of our health.”
Pressley has been vocal in pushing for the FDA to take action. Alongside Congresswoman Shontel Brown of Ohio, she has led efforts to ban the harmful chemicals in hair straighteners and relaxers. “I really do applaud the FDA. They’ve been responsive to my calls,” she said. However, she expressed frustration over delays in the rulemaking process, emphasizing that it has already been extended twice. “Now we’ve brought in Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez of New York to join us in requesting more information about the delay and urging the FDA to get this over the finish line.”
Ultimately, Rep. Pressley’s advocacy is about more than banning chemicals—it’s about ensuring Black women, in particular, have the freedom to show up as their true selves without fear of judgment, discrimination, or harm. “We need to finalize this rule and prioritize health for everyone—whether it’s the consumer or the administer. We all deserve to be safe.”
Clay Cane is a SiriusXM radio host and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Grift: The Downward Spiral of Black Republicans From the Party of Lincoln to the Cult of Trump.
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