In 2017, sisters Mya and Deanna Cook were removed from their classrooms due to a dress code violation. The two had recently gotten braided hair extensions for their 16th birthday and faced backlash from Mystic Valley Regional Charter School. The school administrators deemed their braids as distracting. When told to remove the hairstyle before the following school day, Mya and Deanna refused. Their refusal resulted in the sisters being removed from their extracurricular activities and possible suspension. They were also not allowed to attend their upcoming prom.
Other cases of black students being punished for their hairstyle have occured at the Massachusetts charter school. In these instances, girls were removed from class and question about their hair. If the student admitted to having extensions, she was given detention. One student that wore hair naturally was told to relax or straighten it before returning the next day.
Aaron and Colleen Cook, the adopted parents of Mya and Deanna, were outraged after being told their daughters' needed to “fix” their hair. They brought yearbooks to the administration and pointed out white students with extensions or dyed hair. The schools administration dismissed the images, saying the white students’ hair alterations were not as obvious.
A complaint was filed to the NAACP, Anti-defamation league, and ALCU by the parents, in which they stated that the dress code was discriminatory towards black female students. The school decided to remove their dress code for the remainder of the school year.
There are plenty of other discrimination cases involving black hairstyles. A high school wrestler from New Jersey was given the ultimatum of cutting his dreadlocks before a match or forfeiting. An elementary school in Atlanta, Georgia faced criticism for being racially insensitive after displaying “inappropriate” hairstyles in which only images black students were used.
Dress codes that forbid students from expressing themselves with their hairstyle is discrimination. Especially if the style has a cultural or religious significance. In the incident involving Mya and Deanna Cook, the sisters wanted to express their black heritage by having braids installed. The problem escalates when an individuals rights, like receiving an education, are compromised. The freedom to express oneself is a right that is documented in our Bill of Rights.
Since then, the CROWN Act, an acronym for “Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair, has been passed by the California Legislature. This act has been sponsored by the beauty company, Dove. Around the country, other cities are working to get the CROWN Act passed. Some of these places include Montgomery, Alabama, New York, Cincinnati Ohio, and Boston, Massachusetts.
As a black woman, it is upsetting to know that the texture of my hair could be considered a dress code violation or ruled as unprofessional. I appreciate that an effort is being made to stop this freedom of expression issue.
Hi Alijah! I really enjoyed your blogpost. It was very informative about a topic that I was not previous familiar with. I never really thought that a student could be penalized for just being themselves, and after reading this blogpost, I have realized how often it is overlooked.
ReplyDeleteI only have one comment. I completely agree that the students, Maya and Deanna Cook, should have been able to wear their hair the way they like, and to not be discriminated against for doing so. However, as we have seen from a couple cases we have went over in class, I was not sure if it was one of those situations where because they represent the school and are under the schools rules, they must abide by how the school would like for the students to represent them. This is normally the case at private schools. For example, at my private school, all students could not have certain hair colors, and all students could not wear certain hairstyles. My only constructive criticism would be to include what that looks like for a charter school, as I am not really familiar with how the chain of command works at a charter school. To be honest, I am not really sure what a charter school even is, just because there were no charter schools in my school district.
Other than that, I unequivocally agree with everything you wrote about and thoroughly enjoyed your blogpost. Thanks for sharing!