Now I'm not saying TSA is discriminating against black hairstyles but the scanners are questionable. Every time I go to the airport my hair is patted down. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to have a stranger pat down your hair? According to ProPublica, The full-body scanners at airports across the country frequently give false alarms for Afros, braids, twists and other hairstyles popular among black women.
It looks like the airport machines are due for a major UPGRADE! “With black females, the scanner alarms more because they have thicker hair; many times they have braids or dreadlocks,” said a TSA officer who works at an airport in Texas and asked not to be named. “Maybe, down the line, they will be redesigning the technology, so it can tell apart what’s a real threat and what is not. But, for now, we officers have to do what the machine can’t.”