How Dreadlocks Keep Black Girls Out of Public School Activities
Assessing policies that green-light discrimination
Since the inception of America, white people have participated in a concerted effort to tame Africans. Many only feel comfortable amongst those who comply with their every demand. History shows white people want to control how we speak, dress, behave and even groom ourselves. These attempts to tame Black people extend past the workplace and venture into the school, home, and the Black psyche. While parents would do anything to protect their children, racism is not something they can endure on their behalf.
Public schools around the country have various policies about what children should wear and how they should behave. While some standards are beneficial for creating a stable school environment, some social expectations are psychologically harmful. Too often, schools tell Black children that their natural hairstyles are unfit for the classroom. While all children should wear clothes in class covering their bodies, school administrators make the mistake of trying to tame Black hair. After all, Black people are not animals. Just like any other group of people, we deserve freedom.
Still, we cannot taste liberty when our society teaches our children that their natural bodies are illegitimate. Many Black parents refrain from sending their children to school with natural hairstyles like dreadlocks to avoid discrimination. However, those who refuse to let white people tame them feel the cold, hard slap of bigotry.
To be clear, having dreadlocks does not interfere with a child’s ability to learn. No scientific studies exist that argue that tightly coiled hair stymies academic growth. These discriminatory practices remain just as unjustifiable as they were hundreds of years ago.
While our experiences with discrimination are personal, it reflects a pattern of societal norms. Still, many white people fail to see that policies, not just individuals, codify racism. A school administrator can politely tell you that your natural hairstyle is unacceptable. Still, presenting racist rhetoric in a mild tone does not soften the blow. Researchers indicate that Black girls are more than twice as likely to get pushed out of school than white girls. Black girls do not break more rules or participate in destructive behaviors more frequently. Instead, school administrators view them differently. Harmful stereotypes facilitate widespread discriminatory practices.
This uneven discipline is often the result of deeply ingrained racist and sexist stereotypes that push black girls out of school (Camera, 2017).
At a young age, Black girls experience misogynoir in a way that deprives them of pure joy. White girls have much more freedom to express themselves in classroom settings. They can dye their hair unnatural colors like pink, blue, and green. Still, when Black girls want to wear natural hairstyles, like dreadlocks, white administrators seem frustrated at their reluctance to conform.
We should assess the harmful impacts of stylistic repression. Public school administrators should focus on ensuring that each child receives an equal opportunity to learn. Parents need to question school policies that green-light discrimination — unfortunately, act as gatekeepers, ensuring that nonconformist Black girls remain deprived of equal educational opportunities.
School administrators use negative reinforcement to control black girls
While many white people want to believe we live in a post-racial society, that could not be further from the truth. We find ourselves involved in a constant attempt to right the ship. Numbers tell the unvarnished truth. Twice as many Black girls get pushed out of educational programs. Researchers insist that this stark number demonstrates discriminatory practices rather than Black girls’ inability to behave.
Black girls are still being discriminated against for wearing their natural hair the way it grows from their heads.
Not only are they asked to change their hair to fit mainstream standards, but they often have their education threatened when they refuse to conform (Battle, 2017).
Education is the foundation for a life filled with opportunities. Imagine looking in the mirror and considering making changes not because you feel dissatisfied but because you want a fair shot at life. Black girls face difficult decisions when they consider how to style their hair. Threatening to kick a girl out for wearing dreadlocks is a textbook example of negative reinforcement.
When psychologists want to change an individual’s’ behavior, a common technique revolves around introducing a negative stimulus. This strategy is often effective because individuals have to consider whether they want that negative stimulus. After considering the punishment for noncompliance, they make a decision. However, their decision is tainted with a veiled threat.
Negative-reinforcement forces Black girls and their families to make tough decisions about their hairstyles. Some want to avoid the conflict altogether because, over time, society conditioned many Black people to comply rather than suffer the consequences.
Even if educators used positive reinforcement in this matter, it would still be cruel. After all, only rewarding Black girls that wear their hair in straight styles would achieve the same impact. Schoolgirls are intelligent and know which behaviors administrators reward and which ones they punish. Most schools use a combination of positive and negative reinforcement in a process called operant conditioning. The goal is for students to receive punishments for undesirable behaviors and rewards for good ones.
The scientist Ivan Pavlov initially used classical conditioning to train dogs to salivate at a bell’s sound. He introduced dogs to meat, provided simultaneously with the sound, he measured their saliva. Through his study, scientists discovered how effective conditioning was; animals could become conditioned to react. Even upon removing the bell (the stimuli), the dogs continued to drool. Still, the experiment proved that the conditioning only lasted so far as the dogs remembered the bell.
On its face, this type of social manipulation seems wholly unethical. And, perhaps it is. Still, our society relies on social conditioning to control behavior in many facets of life. Americans designed the criminal justice system by introducing punishment (negative reinforcement) to decrease criminal behavior. However, the result of this method places doubt on the efficacy of this method. Research indicates that 39.8% of nonviolent and 64% of violent federal prisoners re-enter the prison system; a practice called recidivism.
The high number of recidivism indicates that this type of conditioning remains ineffective in the long term. Introducing punishment did not achieve the primary goal of decreasing crime. Perhaps in addressing some underlying conditions that produce criminality like poverty and mental illness, society could decrease crime. Nevertheless, negative reinforcement remains prevalent in American institutions.
Educators should make it their goal to teach children, not control them. Under the current system, racist policies attempt to alter Black girls’ behavior, even when the outcome could negatively impact their self-esteem and access to school activities. Ultimately, taking away learning opportunities as punishment exposes an overemphasis on negative reinforcement in the American educational programs.
They go around posting signs about the ethos of equality for all the girls at the school, but that is not true. It feels like they don’t want to accept the fact that we’re African (Battle, 2017).
Some of the same schools claiming to uphold inclusive values implement discriminatory practices. They view natural hairstyles like dreadlocks as inappropriate and unkempt. There is a reluctance to admit that they want to tame Black girls’ hair. Still, the proof is in the pudding.
Some black girls refuse to conform
In the past, the regulations existed, but African-Americans often conformed through haircuts, wigs and relaxers, Karikari-Yawson said. Now, more of us are choosing not to conform, and so the conflicts are coming to light (Griffith, 2019).
The struggle for cultural independence is a life long battle for Black girls. Historically, most conformed to social expectations that limited natural styles, like dreadlocks. However, Black parents and their children are becoming increasingly non-compliant. For them, compliance is a capitulation of Black liberty.
White Americans insist that Black people already have freedom. Still, that is like telling a bird with clipped wings that it is free to fly. Maya Angelo once said, “I know why the caged bird sings.” Like the bird, Black people want the freedom to fly, expressing our values, love, and kindness. Discriminatory policies keep Black girls in a cage, preventing them from feeling beautiful and socially acceptable. There is nothing wrong with Black girls. Society needs to correct course to produce a culture that respects and values every person.
I had to leave the realm of high school to fall in love with my hair. Under the strict eye of school administrators, only a few girls felt comfortable with wearing natural hairstyles. None of them had dreadlocks. As I attended community gatherings, I noticed that many children had dreadlocks. The majority of them were boys. The unspoken rules of society prohibited this hairstyle in many schools around the city. I wondered which schools they attended and felt amazed at how long their hair grew. The length reflected their freedom. I marveled at the years it took to develop and the critiques they had to endure to maintain it.
When I grew older, I worked at one popular seafood restaurant. During my employment there, my co-worker had to cut his dreadlocks to fit in the front-of-house. They did not let many Black men work in the front, and when they did, they had to cut their hair. Before he cut his hair, it was so long; it went down to his ankles. It looked magnificent. He had to cut it to make seven dollars an hour plus tips as a busboy. It made me sad because I felt they won — they tamed him. I vowed to keep mine despite the consequences.
I also experienced hair discrimination at a job. Throughout the article, Stop the Natural Hair Discrimination, I described my story in detail. They did not want me to work there unless my hair was considered “twists” and not “dreadlocks.” So, I lied to get the job, and if I could do it all over again, I would tell them they were dreadlocks and challenge why my hairstyle was relevant to my potential employment. One of the ways racism cuts is by silencing Black voices. For that reason, I admire these students and their parents for speaking up against these unjust policies. Black people are human, and it merciless for white people to attempt to tame us. cruel
I learned as an adult that natural and protective hairstyles facilitate fast hair growth. Thus, long hair was always coveted and yet unattainable for many Black schoolgirls forced to cripple their hair for white school administrators’ enjoyment. Even if teachers did not consider themselves racist, denying us acceptance based on our natural hair is discriminatory.
It will always seem unkempt if you compare Black girl’s hair to white girls’ hair. However, we deserve to live free from comparisons to Eurocentric beauty standards. Black girls will never look like little white girls, and many parents are fed up with the attempts to police their children’s locs. Across this country, many Black people are rising up in protest. Parents are finding their voice in advocating for their girls’ right to wear natural hairstyles.
According to The Washington Post, students at the Pretoria High School for Girls were told to ‘fix’ their hair if they were wearing it in its natural state. Cornrows, dreadlocks and loose braids also had diameter restrictions. The girls held a protest on campus grounds (Battle, 2017).
Black girls and their parents used their voices to protest the discriminatory practices at Pretoria High School. As a result, the school discontinued the policy. While this is an excellent case study in the power of advocacy, many schools ignore Black parents and students’ voices. This dynamic is particularly true when Black girls are the minority within a school.
Black school girls should not feel left out of school activities for being themselves. As a community, we should encourage children to foster self-love rather than self-hatred. Americans need to take a deep dive into understanding the dynamics of racism. It truly has eight tentacles or more. Equality is the staple of a healthy civilization. We should strive to implement policies that reinforce these values.
Students are having educational opportunities disrupted for simply being themselves,” Okonta said. “For embracing their blackness(Madani & Griffith, 2019).
Since administrators often disregard attempts to create equality, parents and students should continue to protest. This fight should not rest only on Black schoolgirls. If white schoolgirls fought back against these misogynoiristic policies, they could make better allies as white women.
They could tell administrators, “There is nothing wrong with her hair. Leave her alone.” Silently showing support is not good enough. Black girls do not benefit from someone whispering, “That was not right.” We need our voices to rise until no one can avoid hearing our advocacy.
Racial discrimination is not harmless. Many students feel scarred by these experiences. Imagine having to defend your very existence, to try to legitimize your natural body, and to endure this throughout a lifetime. Consider that our Black parents, grandparents, great-grandparents faced the same discrimination. The policy is indicative of systemic racism. In America, lift a stone, and you will find it.
Changing yourself comes at a cost
White people pass off their objections to Black girls’ hair, insisting that our hair needs taming. However, asking someone to change their physical body can have negative physical and mental consequences. Parents and students protesting against these injustices have a scientific basis for rebelling against these discriminatory policies.
Recent studies have linked the ingredients in relaxers, which chemically straighten hair, to uterine fibroids, cancer, and other illnesses. Mintel, a market research firm, estimates that retail sales of at-home relaxers declined 22.7 percent from 2016 to 2018 (Griffith, 2019).
Asking a Black girl or woman to change her hair is not harmless at all. New research indicates that using straightening chemicals increases the risk of developing harmful physical illnesses. When school administrators insist that Black girls tame their hair, they also increase their likelihood of suffering throughout their lifetimes. Risking a Black schoolgirl’s health is an unfair risk to take. White girls do not have to risk developing uterine fibroids to wear their hair in straight styles.
Americans should embrace anti-discriminatory legislation
Despite the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many Black people continue to experience discrimination in educational settings. Individual school boards and states differ in their approaches to hair and clothing policies. While schools should maintain the autonomy to define school policy, those policies should never facilitate discrimination.
Sadly, many Black girls face discrimination because schools find loopholes. Many states and localities fail to recognize hair discrimination as a race-related discriminatory practice.
California’s new measure is the first statewide ban on natural hair discrimination in the country. The New York City Commission on Human Rights passed similar protections in February, classifying restrictions on natural hair in workplaces, schools and public places as racial discrimination (Madani & Griffith, 2019)
While these gains inspire activists, this legislation fails to protect Black girls living in Southern states. If anti-racist activists want hair discrimination to end, they should support Federal legislation. Representative Cedric Richmond from Louisiana co-sponsored the Crown Act of 2020. This law, if implemented, would prohibit discrimination based on hairstyle and texture in every state. While this law offers protection to Black schoolgirls, it protects women in the workplace as well.
On September 21, 2020, the bill passed the House of Representatives. The creation of this bill demonstrates concerted efforts from activists made an impact. During this legislative session, the Senate refused to consider the Crown Act. Still, it reflects the passion that many lawmakers have for stopping these discriminatory practices.
Black schoolgirls need the Crown Act of 2020 to become law to protect them from administrators who push them out of school based on their appearance. Americans have the potential to make hair discrimination a relic of the past.
Looking ahead
When school administrators attempt to tame Black schoolgirls’ hair, they prioritize conformity over equal access to educational opportunities. Conforming to Eurocentric beauty standards does not increase academic performance. Dreadlocks, along with all-natural hairstyles, reflect precolonial Black culture.
Parents, students, and anti-racist activists should continue to advocate for equal treatment in America’s schools. Black girls have dynamic hair, rising into puffy afros and falling into curly locs. Embracing Black culture should never disqualify someone from learning.
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References:
Battle, M. (2017, May 16). 8 Times Schools Let Black Girls’ Hair Interfere With Their Education. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.elitedaily.com/life/culture/black-girls-natural-hair-racism-schools/1953497
Camera, L. (2017, May 9). Black Girls Are Twice as Likely to Be Suspended, In Every State. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2017-05-09/black-girls-are-twice-as-likely-to-be-suspended-in-every-state
Madani, D., & Griffith, J. (2019, June 28). California becomes the first state to ban discrimination against natural hair. Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/california-become-first-state-ban-discrimination-against-natural-hair-n1023391
Griffith, J. (2019, February 24). When hair breaks the rules: Some black children are getting in trouble for natural hairstyles. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/when-hair-breaks-rules-some-black-children-are-getting-trouble-n973346
