“No Dreadlocks, Cornrolls, Twists, Braids” - Kentucky School Bans Natural Hair

Here we go again. Yet another ban against natural hair. “I can’t believe this is happening in 2016”, a phrase kept on reel in my mind lately. “No dreadlocks, cornrolls, twists, braids” permitted at Butler Traditional High School in Kentucky, written in plain sight for everyone to see ignorance spelled out. I don’t know what’s more offensive, the policy or the fact that they misspelled “cornrows”. And get this, no Afros beyond two inches.

Kentucky State Representative, Attica Scott took to the virtual streets of Twitter with a loud speaker to put her daughter’s school on blast. It happened to be a new hair policy that reinforces the stigma that black natural hair is unacceptable. Message heard.

Teenagers have enough insecurities as it is, this policy would only force them to internalize ugliness and possible self-hatred. And what’s the point? Why would a school reject natural hair, especially the Afro; a style that grows naturally from the scalp of a Black person’s head?

I want to know the idiot assigned to hair police duty. Like, how are they to measure the Afro if it stretches beyond 2 inches. Are they  performing length checks with a ruler at the entrance of the school doors? And why is a 2-inch Afro accepted over say, a 10-inch Afro? What overzealous administrator came up with that arbitrary number?

Miss me with argument that the rule applies to ALL students regardless of race and not targeted to individuals of the Black culture, the originators of dreadlocks and cornrows.

So what is it about natural hair that is unacceptable? I don’t know and cannot for the life of me, summon a logical answer without rolling my eyes. However, there’s a long history of people saying foolishness to justify the inhibition of Black hairstyles in the workplace, school yard etc.

It’s been said that Black hair is unprofessional, extreme, undesirable and downright ugly. Some argue that it limits your level of success. Well, to bust that myth, Scott is a prime example of a successful professional woman, having become the first woman elected to the Kentucky State Legislature in 20 years. And get this, she wears neat dreadlocks.

Scott proceeded to tweet the following examples of successful Black women proudly owning their natural hair.

I’d like to add this picture. It speaks volumes. Let’s just say that if the First Lady of the United States can go through Harvard Law School with natural hair and can rock her curls in the White House, then so can any Black woman who chooses to do so.

Only days later, a meeting was held in the company of “students, parents, community folks, JCPS staff, Sheriff’s deputies, media, Shively City Council members, school board members etc.” tweeted Scott. Many having traveled far, taking “their lunch hour off to attend the meeting, secured childcare for their babies.” Scott reports, ” Principal Allen makes a motion to suspend the policy and the motion passed. Fine. Principal Allen then ends the meeting after three minutes. Many of us begin to look around with confusion”.

So basically they refused to address the issue then closed the meeting without allowing anyone else in attendance to speak on the matter. But when the cameras turn to Kentucky State Legislator Attica Scott, she took the platform only to hand it over to the “students who took time to show up and share their stories.”

What happens next was appalling to say the least and what Scott described as being “disgusted by the white teachers who tried to yell down the Black students as they spoke…How dare these teachers expect these same students to show up to school on August 10th feeling safe around people who tried to publicly humiliate minors.”

Some would advise to remove your child if you disagree with the school policy. To me, that sounds like someone arguing that segregation was a fantastic idea and should be reinforced. Advocating segregation on the basis that anything aside from societal norm is intolerable and worth rejection, is discrimination and at one point was legal in The United States.

We all know how terrible those times were and I would like to think that most realize the fault in that line of thought. Let’s not repeat the past, shall we. I hope that one day we will evolve from judging a person solely by their exterior appearance and realize that a person’s character is invaluable.

Since the natural hair movement started in 2009, I’ve witnessed a paradigm shift, a glimmer of hope, regarding the narrative of Black hair and the role it plays in today’s society. Black women are taking ownership of their natural hair and writing their own narratives. Since then, I’ve seen marketing and consumerism cater to the natural hair movement with the development of new “organic” products for the naturally curly girl.