Fried, Dyed & Laid To The Side: Al Sharpton’s Hair Over The Years

It’s only right that we start this Al Sharpton hair story with James Brown. You may not know that James served as a father figure to Sharpton back in the day. Sharpton was abandoned by his own father and Brown had just lost a son, Teddy, who Sharpton had befriended before his death in a car accident. When Brown attended the funeral he met Sharpton and served as his mentor.

In 1981, Ronald Reagan invited James Brown to the White House to discuss making Dr. King’s birthday a national holiday. He invited Sharpton to come along with him but suggested he get his hair done for the occasion. In an interview with Ebony, Sharpton recalled the incident:

“He said, `I want [Reagan] to see a younger version of me when he sees you. After I did it, he said he wanted me to keep my hair like that until he died, as our bond. So that’s how I ended up with this hairstyle.”