Black Girl Bravery: Ayanna Pressley
As the saying goes: “you never know what someone is going through.”
In January, congresswoman Ayanna Pressley brought her courageous reputation to another level with her public revelation that she is not only battling Alopecia, but the disease has now left her completely bald.
In a powerful video posted by The Root, Pressley revealed she first noticed the hair loss this past fall during a visit to get her signature Senegalese twists. Her hairdresser made her aware of a few bald patches in her head. She notes the patches soon turned into regularly finding clumps of hair in her sink each morning. This was an ironic turn of events for the Massachusetts congresswoman who’s signature hairstyles inspired and strengthened her political brand, inspiring the My Congresswoman Wears Braids T-shirts.
Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that causes immense hair loss and in most cases completed baldness from the scalp, face and body. Over 6 million Americans suffer from Alopecia according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation’s site.
Art by TL Duryea
Pressley told the The Root editors:
'“This is my official public revealing. I’m ready now because I want to be free from the secret and the shame that the secret carries with it. And because I’m not just here to occupy space, I’m here to create it.”
“This is about acceptance. I hope this starts a conversation about the personal struggles we navigate, and I hope that it creates awareness about how many people are impacted by Alopecia.”
Pressley went on to say her main motivation in coming out publicly about this disease is the young women of color who she knows look to her as a role model. She says: “I felt like I owed those little girls an explanation.”
On the day Pressley was set to vote to impeach Donald Trump, Pressley woke up and realized she was completely bald. She opted to wear a wig on the house floor but admitted it left her feeling “naked, exposed, vulnerable.” At the end of the video Pressley proudly reveals her cleanly shaved head. “I am making peace with having Alopecia. I’m very early in my alopecia journey but I’m making progress every day. And that’s why I’m doing this today. It’s about self-agency, it’s about power, it’s about acceptance.”
Many of her political colleagues showed support on social media including Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar who shared Pressley’s video saying she was, “stunningly gorgeous and a magnificent black queen. I know women and young girls around the world will wear their crowns more proudly today because of you.” Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted:
