Hannah Bronfman Says She Is 'Grateful' for Her Natural Hair in Moving Post About Discrimination

Hannah Bronfman has a message of self-love for Black men and women everywhere.

Amid the social unrest in the country following the killing of George Floyd, on Thursday, the influencer and activist shared a selfie to Instagram, showing off her bellowing natural locks while highlighting the racial discrimination Black people often face for their hair.

"Wanted to say hi to the new folks that have followed me recently and say thanks for joining this community! This is me, Hannah, in all my natural curly haired glory," Bronfman, 32, began in her caption. "I just heard a stat from the NAACP that after arrests and job disparities, HAIR is the third most likely form of discrimination against black people."

She continued, "Our HAIR, the thing with which we are born, the thing so beautiful that other cultures have been co-opting for generations. Our curls, our kinks, our braids, are so beautiful and I am GRATEFUL for this hair. I love extensions and a sleek blowout here and there as much as the next girl but not as much as I love filling your feed with natural black hair so here is mine."

Bronfman was praised in the comments by users and fellow influencers for her inspiring words.

"@hannahbronfman I’ve been following you for a while. We love your Blackness, see your Blackness and appreciate your Blackness. Let them curls play! As always, thank you for sharing sis," one user wrote.

Another said, "Thank you for sharing and shedding light on this for others to know our reality. Beautiful curly, straight and everything in between. ❤️😊."

The DJ and HBFIT founder has also been vocal about her experience with racism as protests around the world emerge in the fight against police brutality and systemic racism following the May 25 death of Floyd, who died while in police custody in Minneapolis after an officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he cried out for help.

In a recent post, Bronfman opened up about being called the N-word when she was just 12 years old.

"The first time I was called the N-word was when I was 12 by my best friend. She had written it in her notebook and I borrowed it for a class and saw she had used a page for a "dear diary" post. I was shocked, horrified and betrayed but I was prepared I was prepared because my mom told me from a young age that I would have to be careful, that my skin color was beautiful but that not everyone would respect it," she captioned a childhood photo of herself, going on to say that the experience "will be with me every day for the rest of my life, and my future children’s lives."

"And I am so PROUD because us black girls are magic and we are beautiful and WE know it, but what I’m hoping is that the rest of the world catches on quick in this moment," she said. "My story is beautiful but it may have been different if my best friend’s parents had sat her down and had the conversations we’re having today.

And like Bronfman, Today host Shienelle Jones recently opened up about embracing her natural hair and gaining the confidence to show off her natural hair texture on national television.

While shooting the morning show remotely from her home due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Jones decided that now was the perfect time to give the natural look a shot. With the help of celebrity hairstylist Takisha Sturdivant-Drew, who works with everyone from Kerry Washington to Yara Shahidi, Jones tried a natural look and filmed herself styling it for a Today segment.

"We video chatted and [Takisha] walked me through what’s known as a 'twist out,' a method of twisting hair piece-by-piece," she explained before admitting, "And I have to be honest: When I took out the twists Monday morning, I was really nervous!"

Despite her nerves, Jones fell in love with her new hairstyle. "I took the jump and I’m so glad I did," she said. But the process of embracing coily texture in the public eye was still an emotional experience for the star.

"I realized, particularly as an African American woman on network news, it’s not something you see often — and it’s definitely a 'step' that is long overdue for me personally," Jones said of seeing women with natural hair texture on television. "I felt obligated to call my executive producer before I went on-air — just to let her know that I was a bit nervous — and when we FaceTimed, her eyes lit up. She told me she loved it."

To help combat systemic racism, consider learning from or donating to these organizations:

• Campaign Zero (joincampaignzero.org) which works to end police brutality in America through research-proven strategies.

• ColorofChange.org works to make government more responsive to racial disparities.

• National Cares Mentoring Movement (caresmentoring.org) provides social and academic support to help black youth succeed in college and beyond.