Though there are a growing amount of Americans gleaning current events from social media, I will always be a diehard fan of TV news — King 5 news in particular. My obsession began as a child. I would start my day with Joyce Taylor's melodic voice reading the morning announcements and pray Rich Marriott would forecast so much snow that I would be able to stay home all day and play.

Now, a senior in college, my news ritual hasn't changed much. But one night, while watching the news, I discovered someone new: Jenna Hanchard.

"Mom! Oh my god. Look, she has an afro!"

Screenshot from her Race & Sports series

I remember pausing the TV — in awe of Jenna Hanchard's glorious natural hair.

For some, the issue of natural hair may seem trivial, but for many black women the decision to rock their natural hair is a huge deal.

My grandmother grew up in the 1960's where one's job, relationship prospects and overall worth was determined by one's proximity to whiteness. Many black women opted for straight hairstyles because they were deemed as more "professional" and such ideology has been passed down for generations.

For example, in 2015, WNCT news anchor Angela Green received a lot of heat for a video in which she advised her intern to straighten her hair. The intern, Madison had been told previously by a pre-production team that her voluminous blonde curls were too "distracting."

In 2017, NPR Radio reported about a battle between a Charter school in Northeast Boston and the family of two teenage black girls. The girls were threatened with suspension, blocked from their extracurricular activities and banned from prom. The root of the issue: Their hair.

Whether worn in braids or in an afro, across the nation black women and girls are faced with punishment for wearing hairstyles which express their black heritage.

This is why, as a black women seeing Jenna Hanchard sporting her natural hair on TV is so important to me.

It's inspiring, not only for me but for dozens of young African American women and girls to see a younger black woman wear her curly hair with pride. Especially, in a world where we are still fighting the "straight is professional" narrative.

In addition to her fabulous hair, I love how vocal she is about race in our society. If you haven't seen her Race & Parenting dinner or Race & Sports table series — google them. They are awesome. Where some reporters may shy away from issues of race — Hanchard owns it. She isn't afraid to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and that is one of the many reasons why she is so boss. Hanchard has been added to my list of must watch news anchors and I hope to see more women like her on TV in the future.