Beyonce’s sister claims ‘Discrim-FRO-nation’

by Katia Hetter

(CNN) — Singer Solange Knowles, also known as younger sister to Beyonce, took to Twitter on Wednesday claiming that Transportation Security Administration officials in Miami had searched her hair.

solangeknowles
SOLANGE KNOWLES

It didn’t take long for Knowles, who called it “Discrim-FRO-nation” to get funny with it. “Lets play a little game called: “What did TSA find in Solange’s Fro”?” she wrote to her 1.3 million Twitter followers.

“Romney’s actual 5 point plan,” replied @Elle_is_haute.

“@Remzophilos: the good lord, Jesus of nazareth was fount in @solangeknowles’ fro,” wrote someone else.

While she wouldn’t comment on the specifics, the TSA doesn’t have a policy of specifically searching Afros, said agency spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.

“If someone is passing through the advanced imaging technology machine, it shows an outline of an individual, the same for every single person,” said Koshetz. “If the hair area is highlighted, the machine may have picked up an anomaly or a possible threat in the head area.” That could include a bobby pin, hair clip, extension clips, ponytail holders or cloth head wraps.

“It would not be someone’s hair but something in someone’s hair,” she said.

Natural hair stylist Isis Brantley, who claimed that TSA agents searched her hair last year, isn’t buying it.

Brantley says her hair clients often complain that security officials search their hair at the airport. “How could you not know that people wear Afros?” she said.

But she thinks African-American women who wear their hair naturally are seen as “flaunting it. You cannot be seen in public with this hair and not have something happen.”

Knowles had fun with her fans, and then she called it quits. “Ok. Game over:( Flights taking off. Me and my wig had a lot of good laughs with y’all.”

The TSA’s Blogger Bob outlined the agency’s screening procedures for hair after another African-American woman with an Afro complained about her hair being searched.

About Post Author

Comments

From the Web

Skip to content