Choosing a hairstyle shouldn’t mean choosing a new school, but students of color across the country are making the difficult decision.
There have been situations across the country where students of color have been forced to switch schools for their hair choices.
Seventh-grade student Isaiah Freeman has had dreadlocks since he was a young child. Freeman was forced to change schools after refusing to cut off his dreadlocks because his hair didn’t comply with the school’s dress code.
“A person shouldn’t be judged because of their hair everyone is different,” said Davion Williams, a fifth-grade student who sports an afro.
When asked what he would do if he had to cut his hair for school Williams says: “I wouldn’t! I’d switch schools or go on strike.”
Hairstyles such as dreadlocks, cornrows and braids are being discriminated against.
In addition, the Islamic head covers such as dastaar and hijabs are seen as a threat among people.
Dastaars are worn by the men to represent honor, self-respect, courage, spirituality and piety.
The hijab is worn to protect a woman’s dignity and honor.
Marwa Wahba an Egyptian student at Los Positas college shares she would feel judged while wearing a hijab.
“I would feel judged because I see it everyday when I’m out with my mom how people look at her. Like she’s really just a person whose covering herself I don’t get what the big deal is,” said Wahba, who is Egyptian and has made the decision not to wear the headdress yet.
Morals created by a culture to remain humble are seen as abnormal to some.
Kim Kardashian debuts her “boxer braids” which are actually corn rows, and she gets a “how to get this look” feature in Cosmopolitan.
Yet Zendaya Coleman rocks dreadlocks on a red carpet and is told the look brings reminiscences of “weed and patchouli oil” by TV host Guilianna Rancic.
Cultural appropriation is being preferred over the real thing and cultural acceptance is being downgraded by people who simply can’t understand it.
Minorities are becoming a majority in more ways than just hairstyles and its important to embrace the change.