Afro-Latina news reporter told she has “N**gery looking” hair after wearing natural curls on TV

Corallys Ortiz, a TV meteorologist and reporter at WBBJ 7 in Jackson, TN, decided that instead of her usual straight-haired look, she would wear her natural curls on TV.

Natasha S. Alford

Sep 19, 2018

Corallys Ortiz just wanted to give her hair a break.

Ortiz, a meteorologist and TV reporter at WBBJ 7 in Jackson, TN, decided that instead of her usual straight-haired look, she would wear her natural curls on TV.

“I’ve been giving my hair a bit of a break from this heat and humidity and not having to straighten it so often. This is only my second round wearing it the 10 months I’ve been in Tennessee,” Ortiz wrote in a Facebook post.

Ortiz, who is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, initially received a lot of positive feedback from viewers who appreciated her natural look.

But Ortiz says on Sunday night, she received a voicemail at the station, which blasted her for simply being herself.

“A viewer who goes by Donna felt that my hair wasn’t up to ‘her standards.’ The following video just reflects back to everything I just said about criticism and dealing with what is considered “cultural or racial ignorance.” Racism for short. It is very clear you can hear what she says and it’s something I don’t condone.”

A creaky woman’s voice can be heard on tape saying,

“To the weather girl tonight, please don’t wear your hair like that anymore. It just doesn’t look good at all. Change it back to something more normal. Not something that’s all– n*ggery lookin’.”

Normal? By whose standards? It’s a struggle many women of color in television news face daily, with journalists like Tamron Hall, Athena Jones and Demetria Obilor, paving the way for normalizing natural hair at every level of broadcast news.

Ortiz, was so appalled by the statement, she replayed the recording and shared it on her Facebook page.

“I hope it serves as a lesson to people like Donna and to remind her that we are living in a new century, in nation filled with people of different backgrounds, cultures, ideals, colors, shapes and sizes,” Ortiz wrote.

Since the posting, the reporter has received a wide outpouring of support from her fans and viewers.