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One would assume decades years later after the legal end to segregation (1964) which saw African Americans no longer barred from swimming in white-owned pools, that we would never go back to the place. Unfortunately, we did in June of 2021 when FNIA (Fédération Internationale de Natation, International Swimming Federation) barred the Soul Cap from use at the Tokyo Games.
The governing body concluded that the swimming cap designed for Black people’s hair does “not follow the natural form of the head.” As well as “athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require … caps of such size and configuration.” After reading the explanation, one will become immediately outraged.
“A long hair swim cap designed for hair blessed with volume” [Soul Cap]
Why does it feel like we have to fight for everything that we need? The hair that naturally grows from our scalp doesn’t grow the same as people of Caucasian or Asian descent. Why can’t we be accepted for the way we are so that the playing field is level (especially in sports)?
Our hair is either kinky*, coily, or curly as well as a mixture of it all and it tends to grow outwards getting bigger as it grows longer rather than just hang down like Caucasian or Asian hair. Since our hair is different, the hair maintenance routine is not the same as our white and asian counterparts therefore, we cannot use the same swimming caps (hair tools), especially in a competitive environment. Simply put, we need our OWN!
“We’re not just a brand, we’re a movement” [Soul Cap]
The soul cap is designed to hold the length, thickness, and volume of your natural hair, locs, and/or…
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Read Full Article by Alma Ruddock at blackhairinformation.com
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