Since I was a toddler, I have had unruly thick curly hair. While my chaotic strands didn't bother me in my formative years, the comments my hair provoked did. It was too poofy, it wasn't normal, it had too much frizz, too much volume. Apparently straightening my curls were the only way my critics would be satiated, to tame my wild mane. It didn't register that there could be a correlation between their disdain and my ethnicity until the Black Lives Matter movement. We don't appear to see hair as an aspect one can be racist upon, but it is a reality, as words like "exotic" and "unnatural" are thrown around. As it turns out, black females are no exception to this unfortunate circumstance. As it turns out, there is even a school in South Africa that suppresses black voices with a policy that does not allow hair to be worn naturally. "At Pretoria High School for Girls, students must have a presentable and neat appearance. Pretoria Girls' Code of Conduct does not specifically mention Afros, but it does lay out rules for general appearance, including prescribing that all styles "should be conservative, neat and in keeping with the school uniform.' (Thabile) Fortunately, there are many students standing up to this racist policy, but it's absolutely absurd that a girl has to protest in order to wear an afro. Many individuals are struggling to embrace their beautiful hair because they are told it is not natural and it is wrong. Issues like these show why the Black Lives Matter movement is imperative to our society so that black lives are seen as they should, as essential and miraculous as every other life should be viewed.
Works Cited
Vilakazi, Thabile. "Students Say School's Hair Policy Is Racist." CNN. Cable News Network. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
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