Description

Malcolm X describes how he and his friend, Shorty, conked their hair.

The conk was a hairstyle popular among African American men from the 1920s to the 1960s. This hairstyle called for a man with naturally "kinky" hair to have it chemically straightened using a relaxer (sometimes pure lye), so that the now straight hair can be styled. Conks were usually large pompadours, sometimes made to resemble white hairstyles. Other black men chose to simply slick their straightened hair back, and allow it to lie flat on their heads.