Aign茅 Goldsby鈥檚 mom was a hairdresser. So as a kid, Goldsby would flex a variety of hairstyles. But at her majority white school, kids would do things like pull on her weave, Goldsby recalled.
When Goldsby grew up and became a lawyer, she didn鈥檛 feel at ease bringing her full self to work.
鈥淎s a Black woman it鈥檚 been difficult for me, and it鈥檚 certainly been a process for me to feel comfortable in predominantly white spaces,鈥� she told .
The American Bar Association says only , and Goldsby noted that there are even fewer Black women in the profession. She coaches BIPOC prelaw and law students through her company and is a staff attorney at the 海角换妻 Utilities Regulatory Authority.
鈥淲hen I show up to work and when I go to court,鈥� Goldsby said, 鈥渕ost of the people around do not look like me.鈥�
This is where her hair comes in again. Earlier in her legal career, Goldsby said she felt an unspoken expectation to straighten her curls. But then about three years ago, she decided to wear her natural hair to work.
鈥淚 kind of got myself to the point where I just say to myself, 鈥榊ou know what, I don鈥檛 really care what you think. I鈥檓 going to be me 100 percent of the time,鈥欌�� said Goldsby.
Last month, 海角换妻 passed the , which bans race-based discrimination against hair or protective styles.
鈥淚 was so excited,鈥� Goldsby said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of my state.鈥�
海角换妻 is the first New England state to pass the CROWN Act.
This interview was featured in the most recent episode of NEXT from the New England News Collaborative. .
