Keke Palmer took us all the way back to our roots with a bit of hair love on Monday's episode of Strahan, Sara and Keke.

In honor of Black History Month, Palmer gave viewers a history lesson about Black hair, starting with braids in 3500 B.C. and press-and-curls in the 1900s, all the way to afros in the 60s and wigs in the 2000s.

Throughout the lecture, Palmer reminded the audience that hair for Black people isn’t just a simple style, but rather a way to express ourselves, start a political movement or even assimilate into office culture.

“For those of you who can’t rock an afro and are curious and want to just reach out and touch…don’t. Unfortunately, the era’s nonconforming hairstyles were criticized and labeled unprofessional,” she said

Palmer ended the lesson by celebrating natural hair, which she was rocking herself.

“For years our hair has been bumped, burned, fried, dyed, blow-dried and laid to the side. Until we finally said enough,” she said.


The 26-year-old also educated the audience on the CROWN Act, which has been passed in three states and two cities and proposed in 24 states. The CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act bans discrimination based on hairstyle and texture.

The segment had many people talking both about how Palmer’s greatness isn’t acknowledged enough and the shocking realization that it took a law for Black people to be accepted with their natural styles.

The True Jackson, VP star shared the clip to her Instagram and dove deeper into her own natural hair journey in the caption.

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I remember when I was a little girl in school and some of the kids would say “why is your hair so crunchy and hard”. I would come home crying to my momma and she would tell me that I had beautiful hair, yet people teased me so it was hard to believe. Then later on I’d be on the sets where none of the hairdressers knew how to do my hair. I would either come with braids already done, or have to spend time in the room with the few minutes I had left to fix whatever they had done before going to film… As a little girl that was a source of anxiety for me “uh oh, the hair conversation” but as I got older the more I stopped letting others project their ignorance and confusion about my hair on to me. Just because someone else doesn’t understand it, doesn’t mean you have to own it. I am who I am and it just is what it is. ????????????????????????

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“As a little girl that was a source of anxiety for me ‘uh oh, the hair conversation’ but as I got older the more I stopped letting others project their ignorance and confusion about my hair on to me,” she wrote. “Just because someone else doesn’t understand it, doesn’t mean you have to own it. I am who I am and it just is what it is.”

On Tuesday, the actress took to Instagram to share her excitement over rocking her natural curls.

“Baby. Weaves, locs, braids, fro. I’m here with it,” she said. “Still with the organic lay and slay. Get into this. Are you kidding me pooh?”

Whether she’s in a wig or rocking au natural, Palmer deserves all the love.

Black hairBlack History MOnthCrown-ActKeke-PalmerNatural-hair