hair discrimination
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Big Hair, Don’t Care: A 5th-Grader Stands in Defiance of the Policing of Black Hair
“So, yesterday, I went to school, and I wore my hair in an afro like this…and a lot of people had a lot of mean things to say about it,” said Nashville fifth-grader Promise Sawyers, gesturing to her enviable halo of natural hair in a now-viral video on YouTube. “So that made me feel some…
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Nappily Ever After: H&M Issues Statement About Black Girl’s ‘Natural’ Hair, No Apologies This Time
So… H&M has found itself the subject of another b(l)acklash. The fast-fashion retailer got called out again for their questionable choices in reflecting black kid magic. But this time they are not folding up like the cheap suits they shill out. On Friday, the Stockholm-based clothing company issued a statement on the firestorm that ignited…
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Wrestling Ref Gets 2-Year Suspension for Forcing Black Student to Cut ‘Unnatural’ Dreadlocks
The racial slur-spewing New Jersey high school wrestling referee who forced a black student to cut his dreadlocks has been suspended for at least two years after a civil rights investigation resulted in implicit bias training, a legal warning from the NJ Attorney General and a rule change for black athletes across the state. In…
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Texas School District Gives 4-Year-Old Boy Two Options: Either Cut Your Hair or Wear a Dress
I don’t condone violence, but if ever there was a story that completely justifies throwing hands, you’re about to read it. According to WKYT, four-year-old Michael “Tink” Trimble’s plans to spend his first day of school minding his business while living his best Capri Sun-flavored life came to an abrupt end when his grandmother, Randi…
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Twisted Logic: Walmart Goes Easy on Guns, But Is Still Holding Black Beauty Products Under Lock and Key
On Aug. 4, an El Paso, Texas, Walmart was the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in the history of this country, sparking renewed debate about whether the retailer should still be in the gun business. This, after its Beavercreek, Ohio, location earned the dubious distinction of being the site of the 2014…
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Texas School District Faces Lawsuit After Staffers Fill in Black Student’s Hair With a Sharpie: ‘That’s Assault’
If ever there was a perfect justification for throwing hands, it’s the discovery that staffers at your 7th grader’s middle school filled in his fade with a Sharpie. Thankfully, however, cooler heads prevailed, and instead of snatching the soul out of the offending party’s chests, a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed instead. From Yahoo:…
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From Jackie Aina to the CROWN Coalition, Black Women Lead Glamour’s List of Women Changing the Beauty Industry
It’s our turn. That’s the message Glamour magazine is giving black women, with the release of its “Women of the Year All Year” list honoring the biggest influencers in beauty. Of the 12 women the magazine profiled for 2019, eight are black, indicating that our influence is finally moving beyond being fodder for appropriation to…
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'Those Are All Little Black Faces': Georgia School Under Fire for Designating 'Appropriate' and 'Inappropriate' Hairstyles
Narvie J. Harris Traditional Theme School in Decatur, Ga., has some explaining to do. The DeKalb County elementary school is facing significant backlash as the result of a display that outlined “appropriate” and “inappropriate” hairstyles for its students. The glaring issue, aside from discussing with parents individually? All of the children pictured (though identity-protected by…
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With a New Amendment, New York State Quietly Joins California in Fighting Hair Discrimination [Updated]
New York City passed amendments to ban hair discrimination in February, but now the state has followed suit, lending its legislative weight to the ongoing conversation around hair bias. Prompted by the CROWN Act (SB 188), proposed by Sen. Holly J. Mitchell (D-Calif.), California became the first state to pass anti-hair discrimination legislation on July…