A television reporter in Jacksonville caused a stir on Twitter when she debuted her new look. Lena Pringle, sporting a fresh fade, posted the stunning photo to her social media account on Sept. 9. 

“Shoutout to the people who told me I wouldn’t be able to get/keep a broadcast news job with a short natural haircut. Jokes on you, huh?” the caption read. 

Pringle posted a video, too, flexing her new haircut. 

According to the station’s website, Pringle, a native of South Carolina, is an anchor and traffic/general assignment reporter at WJXT-4 News.

The regal-looking anchor first donned her natural hair in 2018 and according to her interview on NBC’s The Today Show, Pringle explained her transition from wearing a relaxed pixie-cut to natural.

“Moving forward, it was never going to be something that I negotiated," she said, explaining her decision to rock her natural hair on TV.

The Twitterverse celebrated Pringle’s slayage by offering compliments and well wishes.

Another follower offered Pringle words of gratitude.

A fellow reporter from Boston complimented Pringle, too.

Natural hair discrimination is still an issue for many Black women mainly in the workplace, as Blavity previously reported. 

States like California and New York have taken measures to ensure that historically-racist policies will no longer affect Black employees.

In 2019, Sen. Cory Booker announced The CROWN Act which bans hair discrimination based on texture and hairstyles. The bill was passed in July 2019.

“Discrimination against Black hair is discrimination against Black people,” Booker said. “Implicit and explicit biases against natural hair are deeply ingrained in workplace norms and society at large. This is a violation of our civil rights, and it happens every day for black people across the country.”

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