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Crosscurrents
Crosscurrents is our award-winning radio news magazine, broadcasting Mondays through Thursdays at 11 a.m. on 91.7 FM. We make joyful, informative stories that engage people across the economic, social, and cultural divides in our community. Listen to full episodes at kalw.org/crosscurrents

Writer Lyzette Wanzer untangles the complexities of Black hair

Writer Lyzette Wanzer
Adrianne Mathiowetz
Writer Lyzette Wanzer

This interview aired in the April 24, 2023 episode of Crosscurrents.

"We shouldn’t need legislation for our hair. Nobody else needs it.”
Lyzette Wanzer

Black hair is a complex issue in the U.S. For many Black people their hairstyles are a form of expression and a celebration of their culture. Or how one styles their wear, is simply just what they want to do. But there has been controversy around Black hair. Black people have lost jobs, been expelled from school and endured other forms of oppression simply for how others view their style and hair texture. California was the first state to pass the CROWN Act in 2019 to protect people from hair discrimination.

Wanzer gathered Black women writers, including Afro Latinas, and gave them space on the page to voice their thoughts and share their personal stories in "Trauma, Tresses, and Truth: Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narrative."

This interview was co-produced by Porfirio Rangel.

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Crosscurrents Crosscurrents
Jeneé Darden is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker and proud Oakland native. She is the executive producer and host of the weekly arts segment Sights & Sounds as well as the series Sights + Sounds Magazine. Jeneé also covers East Oakland for KALW. Jeneé has reported for NPR, Marketplace, KQED, KPCC, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony magazine, Refinery29 and other outlets. In 2005, she reported on the London transit bombings for Time magazine. Prior to coming to KALW, she hosted the podcast Mental Health and Wellness Radio.