Thoughts?
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Tulsa-school-sends-girl-home-over-hair/sGcEwBSrm02W8ZSBNnGoXQ.cspx?fb_action_ids=10151578956477190&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B579593642082300%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.recommends%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D
I think that the school dress code was referring to Bob Marley style dreadlocks: the ones that are unwashed, somewhat uncontrollable, etc. That would be considered "not presentable" and I could see them applying the dress code there. However, there is a huge difference between african american hair styles and caucasian hair styles. African americans have hair that is completely different, as a rule. If this little girl wanted to tame her hair by putting it into dreadlocks and creating a nice ponytail, then she should. How much more presentable would it be to not do anything and allow her hair to poof out? In fact, that would more than likely have created an afro, also unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteI suppose they could have braided her hair in cornrows, but you can create all sorts of "faddish" patterns there as well.
I understand that the school is a charter school, and charter and private schools can operate differently. I also understand that they need to enforce the rules the same over the entire school body, so it would be difficult to say "this type of dreadlocks is okay, this kind is not."
The issue becomes not in the rule being enforced but HOW they did so. If they had politely informed the parent that they understand that this is a common style, that they appreciated his effort to send his daughter to school looking her best, but they have to enforce the rule the same for everyone, regardless of circumstance, then that would have been much better. But to say that she was not presentable was really where their error lies, in my opinion.
After further investigation, it seems that the majority of the school officials and administration are black. Does this change the game for anyone?
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ReplyDeleteNo it does not change it. It's not about a clear and defined Black versus White issue (this binary is quite problematic in many aspects). It's not just an issue of the individuals who told the girl this, or the school. It's a matter that is much bigger, a systematic one. In other words, for me the question is not why these particular people, or this particular school had such rule in their book. Or even why they acted the way they did (though as you very well said, this is highly problematic). The question is: what are the embedded messages that this school/rules/mindset is telling this little black girl: Something is "wrong" with your hair.. your hair is not "normal" because "normal" hair looks like what these other children have.
ReplyDeleteOr to take it into more structural level, in what ways does this message (in this particular instance) reflect the discourse that society as a whole tells our black children? Adults? What is good hair? But more importantly, why is it THAT kind of hair "good"? It's racism. It is Eurocentrism. And black people, or any other people of color, can also partake in perpetuating these forms of oppression, it's not just white people that do. But that is called "internalized oppression" or "internalized racism." It is a result of an "inferiority complex" intimately weaved to institutionalized and other forms of historical and very real forms of racism that continue to affect our social, cultural, and political fabric.
It works the same way with gender. It is not just members of the opposite sex that can perpetuate sexism or gender inequality. Between men and women for instance, women tend to be the ones to tell other women how to be a "good" woman or what a "lady" is. Or what one needs to do to be considered "beautiful." We are our biggest police. But this all reflects gender inequality and sexism imbedded in our institutions.
It's complex, but in order to begin to not only deconstruct these things, but to change them, we must get away from binary thinking and from the "blaming the individual (or the self)" mentality. And this is not saying that this is what you were stating... just thoughts that connect. Thank you for your post LIzzie. Much appreciated.