Policing Joy is a 21-minute documentary short film that aims to stimulate a global conversation around Black women and girls' encounters with hair bias in schools and society.
Policing Joy opens with Black women and girls across generations reflecting on their memories of hair styling and grooming practices in anticipation of the first day of school.
The film then dives into recent media coverage of Black girls' experiences with school based hair bias. Using intellectual contributions from psychologists, scholars, activists, and Black women and girls, Policing Joy reveals how institutions, such as schools, can cause emotional harm to Black women and girls that can last a lifetime.
The film concludes with a poetic interpretation and call to action for the protection of Black women and girls in schools, society, and beyond.