ALFONSO: Welcome back. If you’re just joining us, we’re discussing the controversy surrounding the natural hair relaxer Reenu-You and its possible connection to illness in our communities. I’m Alphonso Jones, your host. Joining me, in the studio, are Clifton Jones, commentator and author of numerous books including Will Black People Survive the 21st Century? and Lorraine Simmons, founder of the People’s Corner, a nonprofit organization based in Brooklyn. With us by phone is Jazzmin Olsen, health reporter for The New York Post.
CLIFTON: The problem is that the facts the health agencies are telling us changes daily.
JAZZMIN: The Department of Health and the mayor’s office are attempting to update the public as things become clearer. They are trying to piece things together.
CLIFTON: Really? Because what I see is intentional confusion. They misled people into thinking that this skin rash caused by Reenu-You was not a problem.
ALFONSO: Clifton, are you saying doctors ignored this health issue?
CLIFTON: Two things. Yes, I think doctors didn’t respond quickly enough to take this issue seriously. If several hundred white women came to their doctors with terrible sores on their faces, heaven and hell would have been moved to find out the cause.
LORRAINE: I agree with Clifton. I think the slow and botched response speaks to a lack of respect for the health of minority women and lack of health care access.
CLIFTON: And, the second thing I want to offer is that this situation is partly about black women, in particular, being obsessed with straight hair. If that wasn’t the case, these kind of products wouldn’t find such easy targets.
LORRAINE: I completely disagree! That is an indefensible statement, Clifton. Don’t lay this negligence at the feet of black women. Lots of women—white, black, Latino and Asian— do many different kinds things to change their hair texture, style and color. It doesn’t mean you hate yourself if you do. No one expects to buy a defective, frankly harmful product, which is what Reenu-You is.
CLIFTON: Lorraine, you know the facts—You can’t deny that that there is a long history of hair products damaging black hair.
LORRAINE: Yes, that’s true, but it is also important not to jump to conclusions.
JAZZMIN: If I may interject–
ALFONSO: Please, Jazzmin, go ahead.
JAZZMIN: What we do know is that Reenu-You is a product of KrystàlaVox Company. It’s a subsidiary of IvakHealth, a multinational pharmaceutical company. KrystàlaVox acquired the Dupree Corporation a little over two years ago in a hostile takeover. The founder, Jessica Dupree, had a heart attack a few weeks before the takeover and still remains in a coma. The Dupree Corporation was one of the last successful black-owned hair product companies.
CLIFTON: Yeah, black hair products is a multi-billion-dollar business. What was once controlled by smaller black businesses has become the territory of mega corporations like Revlon and Clairol. What do they give back to the community?
JAZZMIN: If I may add one more important detail.
ALFONSO: Please!
JAZZMIN: Jessica’s daughter, Lynx, stayed on with the company in their research and development wing. From there, the picture gets a bit murky. The company’s research facility is in Malaysia, and reports state that Lynx Dupree went there to develop a new product. Lynx passed away in November of last year, her cause of death undetermined.
LORRAINE: That sounds suspicious.
CLIFTON: Does this mean that this Reenu-You caused outbreak is potentially fatal?
JAZZMIN: We’re not sure what she died of. There wasn’t an autopsy report. We just don’t have enough information to confirm that concern.
LORRAINE: Aren’t these products regulated?
ALFONSO: Good question.
JAZZMIN: Well, here is where it gets interesting. Hair product lines have to have EPA approval. All hair products: rinses, shampoos, relaxers can potentially pose a threat to the environment as they are released into drains and sewers and eventually water supplies. Any hair product going has to conform to minimal levels of biological risk and hazard. It seems, and this is unconfirmed, at the moment but it appears the paperwork for Reenu-You was never fully completed, and did not go through the proper channels, but received approval regardless.
ALFONSO: Shocking! How is that possible?
CLIFFTON: What? So someone in government wasn’t doing their damn job. Or, KrystàlaVox paid someone to get around the system? I would bet it is the latter. Troubling!
ALFONSO: How many people do we know have been affected? In your community, Lorraine?
LORRAINE: We have been hearing complaints for the last several weeks.
JAZZMIN: By all accounts that I can gather, there are several hundred women affected.
ALFONSO: Any deaths?
JAZZMIN: None that we know of linked to Reenu-You.
ALFONSO: Our phone lines are open, and we want to hear from you, especially if you’ve used Reenu-You. After the break, we’ll hear from our callers.