During the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Michelle Obama’s braids and Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson’s afro were celebrated across the country as symbols of black pride, cultural identity and resistance.
Given that the former First Lady once said America was not ready to see a black woman with anything other than straight hair in the White House, her hairstyles symbolize a growing acceptance and recognition of natural hair in political spaces.
While black hairstyles are becoming more accepted in politics, there is a stark contrast in America’s public schools. Black hair may be welcomed in some places, but in the classroom it remains strictly monitored and criminalized.
Black students are disproportionately affected by school dress codes, which more often result in negative perceptions of their identity, severe psychological harm, and push students into the same vicious school-to-prison cycle.
Just weeks before the DNC, a judge dismissed a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by Darryl George, a black student from Texas, ruling that he was lawfully punished for wearing locs, a hairstyle with African roots and spirituality. The school cited “its dress code” as the reason for the suspension.
A national problem for black students
Savannah Walker, a 12th-grader at Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, told Word In Black that when schools enforce such policies, they are “policing not only hair politics, but identity politics.”
“They’re basically telling us that we are unacceptable in our natural selves and that we have to conform to white norms to be seen as respectable and valuable,” Walker said. “That’s hurtful, especially for young people like me who are still trying to find their sense of self and identity.”
In 2017, 17-year-old Jenesis Johnson was expelled from school for wearing her natural afro to school. The school’s dress code required hair to be kept “neat and out of the face,” and administrators claimed her afro was distracting.
In 2018, Faith Fennidy, an 11-year-old from Louisiana, was sent home because her braided hairstyle allegedly violated the school’s dress code. Fennidy’s case attracted national attention and sparked outrage over discriminatory hair policies in schools.
In 2019, Tyler House, a high school wrestler from Kentucky, was forced to cut off his locks on the spot or forfeit his match. The referee insisted that his locks did not comply with the rules of the sport, although other athletes with similar hairstyles were not asked to make changes.
These and many similar incidents highlight the ongoing struggle of black students in schools across the country.
According to a 2020 report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Black students, who make up just 15% of the U.S. public school student body, account for 45% of all hair-related expulsions considered a dress code violation. In addition, 25% of Black students reported being punished for wearing their natural hair, compared to just 5% of white students.
Does the CROWN Act protect black students?
By 2024, 25 states will have passed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN Act), which protects against hair-based discrimination in the workplace and schools.
The law first came into effect in California in 2019 and is intended to prohibit discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles such as curls, braids, twirls and afros. In March 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the federal version of the CROWN Act.
The Biden administration has expressed support for the bill, but the bill has stalled in the Senate, leaving millions of people across the country without protection from discrimination based on their hair.
In states without the CROWN Act, 67% of black students report experiencing discrimination or prejudice at school because of their natural hair. In states with the CROWN Act, the number of reported cases of hair discrimination has decreased by 25%.
What happens next?
In May 2024, Democrats reintroduced the CROWN Act at the federal level. “This is not a partisan issue,” said Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, a leading voice in the fight for the bill. “The federal government would simply follow the lead of our states. This is a question of justice. This is a question of fairness. It’s not just about ending discrimination that has existed for too long. It’s enough.”
Meanwhile, in Jacksonville, Walker’s father, Kadeem Walker, said he believes a possible federal ban on discrimination against black hair would ensure that all students could live out their cultural hair identity without fear of punishment.
“We need to implement federal protections like the CROWN Act and hold schools accountable for discriminatory dress codes,” he said. “That would be a huge step toward ending these discriminatory practices regarding natural hair across the country.”
