School condemned for racist hair policy after girl with cornrows was segregated

[ad_1]

Sign up for our free bi-monthly newsletter from The Independent racing correspondent Nadine WhiteSign up for our free bi-monthly newsletter The Race Report

A mother has accused her daughters’ secondary school of having a racist policy after staff separated her child from other students because of her cornrow hairstyle.

Jade Samuels, 37, said Bishop Challoner Catholic College in Birmingham ordered her daughter, who is in eighth grade, to sit on a table away from her friend in the canteen with other students who were breaking her uniform policy. She was also not allowed on the playground.

Posting on Twitter, she wrote: My child is banned from the playground / school canteen for her hair, it is neatly braided in a natural color, I gave them a lesson in the history of hair black women, the cultural meaning of braiding, they chose violence, @BishopChaloner has a racist hair policy!!!

She claimed staffers objected to a heart-shaped cornrow design on the side of her daughter’s head. As if that made it any less bad, Ms Samuels added. It’s racist and anti-black.

The now-viral tweet prompted an outpouring of responses from people online with organizations such as Dove and World Afro Day condemning the schools’ actions and offering words of solidarity.

We were so sorry this happened. Hair discrimination is never okay, Dove wrote.

British-Nigerian activist, political commentator and lawyer Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimum added: I can imagine the emotional, mental and physical turmoil you and your daughter must be going through. I’m livid – they didn’t think at all about how traumatic this must be for her. Boil my blood.

Did it affect you? Please contact us via [email protected]

A Bishop Challoner Catholic College spokesperson told The Independent that its uniform policy allows braided hair, but it states that students should not have shaved/shaved hairstyles or shaved lines/patterns in their hair.

He added: The decision has been made that if shaved models are not permitted for students, then a braided model cannot be permitted on that basis. Bishop Challoner Catholic College is following standard procedure with students seated apart in the canteen during breaks and lunches until uniform code is enforced. They are allowed to sit with their friends at the discretion of the staff.

Ms Samuels is due to meet with governors and headteachers to discuss her concerns. Ms Samuels, who is an actress, hopes the school will change its uniform policy so that other children are not treated like her daughter has been.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission issued new guidelines in October which, for the first time, state that students should not be restricted from wearing their hair in natural Afro styles at school.

It comes after The Independent revealed that the equality watchdog pledged to review its guidelines on hair discrimination in July following widespread campaigning by groups including Enact Equality, the secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Racial Equality in Education; Dove, LOreal, Pantene, Dope Black Dads, Glamor Magazine and the British Beauty Council.

It is the latest in a series of cases in which a black or mixed-race student has been disciplined by a school for his cornrow hairstyle or afros. Other examples include Chikayzea Flanders and Ruby Williams.

One study found that more than half (52%) of black people with afro hair said discrimination against their natural hair had hurt their self-esteem or mental health.

Last year, it also emerged that almost half of black and mixed-race women had experienced race-based hair discrimination at school. Of these, more than half (57%) said they still suffer from hair-related trauma today.

The research was carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Dove UK and surveyed 2,000 women to find out about their experience of hair discrimination, which they say starts as young as five years old.

[ad_2]