Racist hair policy in the news....AGAIN

**turtlelover** · July 29th, 2016, 11:13 AM

Good grief! Why can't the powers that be just let people be who they are? I think African American hair in traditional, natural styles is beautiful! This is incredibly racist!

http://www.whas11.com/news/local/but...tion/283068362

**lithostoic** · July 29th, 2016, 12:04 PM

I don't understand why? Like why else would you make that rule if not to be purposely discriminatory?

**vampyyri** · July 29th, 2016, 12:10 PM

This kind of stuff still happens? What are they supposed to do? Chemically relax their hair to death, or wear a hat (which might also be forbidden)...?

There's really no good reason for this!

**H o n є y ❤** · July 29th, 2016, 12:31 PM

Organizations that ban traditional AA hairstyles like those mentioned in the article often associate those hairstyles with gangs, violence, etc not realizing (or maybe they do) they are banning parts of a culture that has absolutely nothing to do with violence. If not associated with violence, they're associated with some other sort of negative connotation.

**Hairkay** · July 29th, 2016, 01:04 PM

That is discriminatory. That's like the school that had a list of extreme hairstyles that were banned. It went something like this, no hair dyes, mohawks, afros etc.

Here's another case of it. A woman in a workplace with no dress code kept getting memos about her hair. Apparently pony tails and plaits/braids are not professional enough according to a senior at work so she put on a head wrap. Then she's told "cultural" head wraps are not professional so she's protesting by coming to work cosplay style.

http://blackgirllonghair.com/2016/07...ds-by-cosplay/

I'd have gone in to work with a wrap with the words "non cultural" written on it.

I'd also heard about a woman in the USA with natural curly kinky hair who'd been told that she'd been successful at her job interview but she had to do something about her hair because the company does not allow plaits/braids, or afros. The woman did enquire how she should style her hair but just got a shrug as an answer.

**ElvenEngineer** · July 29th, 2016, 04:26 PM

Grrr. This is so awful. People/organizations need to get the memo that *being black is not unprofessional*. (And yes, that is what policies that don't allow natural hair are effectively saying.)

**ephemeri** · July 29th, 2016, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by Hairkay

That is discriminatory. That's like the school that had a list of extreme hairstyles that were banned. It went something like this, no hair dyes, mohawks, afros etc.

Here's another case of it. A woman in a workplace with no dress code kept getting memos about her hair. Apparently pony tails and plaits/braids are not professional enough according to a senior at work so she put on a head wrap. Then she's told "cultural" head wraps are not professional so she's protesting by coming to work cosplay style.

http://blackgirllonghair.com/2016/07...ds-by-cosplay/

I'd have gone in to work with a wrap with the words "non cultural" written on it.

I'd also heard about a woman in the USA with natural curly kinky hair who'd been told that she'd been successful at her job interview but she had to do something about her hair because the company does not allow plaits/braids, or afros. The woman did enquire how she should style her hair but just got a shrug as an answer.

No "cultural" head wraps? What is a "cultural" head wrap? And are there "non-cultural" head wraps? (!!!) This is complete insanity and makes me really angry.

I hope she sued her boss!

**althara** · July 29th, 2016, 06:23 PM

Policies like this are awful. Being black is not unprofessional in a work environment or a distraction to peers in a school environment.

**truepeacenik** · July 29th, 2016, 11:55 PM

I'm betting little Sally Sue with blond hair and blue eyes can wear braids.

Bar team logo wear, set uniforms, but stop making like harder for parents trying to keep the kids neat and tidy.
And quit making curly hair a crime.

**florenonite** · July 30th, 2016, 01:36 AM

Originally Posted by lithostoic

I don't understand why? Like why else would you make that rule if not to be purposely discriminatory?

I think it largely comes down to subconscious discrimination, rather than deliberate. As a society we have certain ideals about what looks "smart" and "put together". For men that's a short back-and-sides, and for women that's straight-to-wavy, often pulled back in a sleek bun.

I don't think the school went, "Let's discriminate against AA kids". Instead, I think someone more likely said, "We should expect kids to look professional to prepare them for the workplace", and then they came up with a very white-oriented list of hair rules. This does not at all excuse them, because *especially* as educators they have a responsibility to examine their privilege and internal biases, but it speaks to a wider problem that can't be dismissed as an isolated group of backwards teachers who hate black kids, but a society that views whiteness as the default to which everyone should conform.