If you are fortunate enough to live in certain media markets, you may have seen Chris Rock's new documentary movie, "GOOD HAIR". I have not seen more than a video clip on YouTube, but I suspect it will entertaining if not informative for blacks.

Certainly, it will be an eye opener for whites, who relish glimpses in the inner working of black life and culture but usually are afraid to get too close. I wonder if black Americans are ready to have this discussion in public. Along with skin color, hair is a major focus of angst and concern for blacks, especially women. This focus has largely been a negative one, given the de-culturation & seasoning process Blacks endured when they were kidnapped and enslaved. The acculturation process in the west was (and remains) virulently anti-African. This not only applies to identifiably black thought, speech, and behavior, but to our very physiogonomy.

While blacks openly discuss skin colorism (if you're black get back, if you're brown stick around, if you're yellow you're mellow, and if you're white you're right), hair texture is largely undiscussed in the public domain.

If you doubt the power that consciousness and perception play in the formulation of identity, consider this; the first black woman millionaire, the veritable Oprah of the last century, was Madame C. J. Walker, who made her millions selling black women hair care products. Blacks spent (and still spend) a pretty penny getting their hair "fried, dyed, and laid to the side". Despite the black consciousness movement of the 1960's where Afros and other natural hairstyles briefly threatened the hair industry, and more recent dalliances with locks & braids, many sisters still "drop the Benjamin's to get that hair done right". Right ususally means straightened, with a little curl or not, and perhaps some color (blonde, red). But what is the political economy of black hair? In the USA, most if not all women are competing against a standard that is unachievable - the Barbie Doll; a blonde with ample breasts, the waist of a wasp (excuse the pun), and curvy (but not too big) hips.

Scientists have determined that the Barbie Doll body type doesn't exist. Nonetheless, it fixes in the mind of little girls of all backgrounds an unhealthy image. In pursuit of this image, girls may develop major insecurity and dissatisfaction regarding body image. These negative images are worse for black girls who seldom see positive images of black women in the public domain. Even the ascension of the Obama's to the White House met with criticism from some quarters about the appearance and fashion choices of the First Lady. In any event, these negative images are a driving stimulus to spend money on hair and fashion in order to meet societal norms for appearance. These perceptions underly a multi-billion dollar industry.

So if Madame C.J. Walker got a made millions over 100 yrs ago, where are the black entrepreneurs cashing in on the economic demands of black women? If there were ANY area of economic activity that blacks ought to dominate or control, it should be the hair care industry. I have yet to view Rock's GOOD HAIR, but there was another film that I did see posted some years ago on the internet. Go on YouTube and look up Black Hair DVD-Aron Ranen Documentary. Among other things discussed, this video details how blacks lost control of the black beauty industry. The Koreans and whites are in a fierce competition for black dollars. Blacks lost the ability to sell (retail) to the public, and in doing so, lost the ability to do wholesale business. There is a black business in Oakland, CA know to make the best hair straightener in the world. They sold this product in retail outlets owned predominantly by Koreans, who maintained cultural and business ties with their homeland. The Koreans made plenty selling this hair straightener, so the manufacturers found it odd that a second rate competitor found its way to the shelves of the retail outlets. This product was a knock-off made in Korea for sale to blacks in the USA in outlets owned by Korean Americans. Soon, the retailer call the manufacturers to inform them that they would no longer sell the world's finest hair straightener. A successful black business was under threat and had little recourse.

I recall one week when my travel schedule was quite hectic. I visited 4 major cites in 10 days in different states of the USA (Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee). The hair care & beauty businesses in the black communities of these cities were run by Koreans or whites. I saw nail salons with Asians in each location right in the middle of the 'Hood. I saw sisters buying blonde hair extensions in stores run by non-blacks. This in an economy where black unemployment is at the level of an economic depression and has been so for years.

Paradoxically, black people (who own or control no significant piece of any industry except churches) are exporting dollars from the community without exchanging them for goods or services with other blacks. What the hell is going on here? Here is a billion dollar industry where blacks have little ownership or control at any level - manufacture, wholesale or retail. Why are blacks economic beggars in the US economy, yet giving away money without any reciprocal business relationships?

The prevailing culture embraces hair appearance that approximate that of white women, which requires that black women chemical process their hair. Black women who sport natural hairstyles are often discriminated against in education and employment. These help reinforce the values that promote acceptable images. For many, it is simpler to reject their natural beauty, accomodate and get "the do" in order to get along and go along. Others have internalized that straight hair is better, and react to natural hair with riducule and hostility.

What black leadership fails to realize is that a black economy will not develop if the people reject their black identity. Other ethnic groups have fewer problems in this area, and are better able to use culture, ethnicity, or language as a wedge to leverage economic advantages for their group. They all come to the black community seeking to sell their wares and grow wealthy. What do other buy from black people that enriches them?

The video shows quite clearly that business is not about what is "fair" or "democratic". It is based on the nexus of power and economics. No matter how great a product may be, one must be able to get it to market for sale. The Koreans, in this example, control the portals to market for superior products manufactured by black people. The Koreans, who gained control of the retail portals for hair care in the black community, when further and substituted their own INFERIOR product and threatened the existence of the black business organization.

The problem is that current black leadership has not focused its intellectual attention to solving this problem. It is more concerned with begging for concessions from whites. In an increasingly multiethnic society, that strategy is destined to fail. No one else (Hispanics, Jews, Arabs, East Asians, South Asians, even continental Africans) wants to hear even righteous cries of protest from African Americans. Those who are focused on the problem have failed to develop the type of organization to realize their vision on the ground (ie, in real terms). Without vision, the people perish. Will our colleges (HBCUs) study our problems and provide solutions? That has not been their tradition; they seek to emulate their white counterparts.