It has something to do with how you're raised, they say. It is a tradition, steeped in their culture. Pledge, now of Cedar Rapids, has more than 60 hats. Although it's not a requirement anymore, most of the women who attend Mount Zion Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids continue to wear hats to Sunday services. The hat is the final touch that completes the look, the cherry on top of the sundae.
Hats can do that.
Many African-American women work, and not always in great environments. They can tolerate it for five days, because on Sunday they're dressed in their finest with their church hat. Then you can strut your stuff like a peacock. It is a love affair that sometimes confounds the men in their lives. It's partly a problem with storage, the women report.