Dreadlocks

Update (November 30, 2018):  In a newly filed legal complaint submitted by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the two groups are alleging that the hair policy at A Book’s Christian Academy is racially discriminatory. Backing up their claims with data from the HuffPost, the complaint asserts that it is not abnormal for private schools in Florida to uphold hair policies with obvious racist connotations.While the school is indeed private, it does participate in state voucher programs, providing financial aid to students looking to attend a private school. Such was the case with Clinton, as he was awarded a scholarship to attend A Book’s Christian Academy through the competitive program.The LDF and ACLU asserts that the schools code of conduct is illegal, “violating federal civil rights laws that schools in state voucher programs are required to follow.”“A Book’s ban on ‘dreads’ – a style that Black students are particularly likely to wear – does not advance any legitimate school objective,” the complaint reads. “Therefore, A Book’s policy illegally discriminates against Black students.”Angel Harris, an assistant counsel for the LDF, said she hopes that the Department of Education opts to further investigate A Book’s Christian Academy, forcing the school to modify their guidelines. Furthermore, she expects that other schools with similar rules will take note.Original: The first day of school can be an exciting time for both parents and children. It can also be a stressful time. For one father and son, the first day of school was unexpectedly cancelled due to the son's natural hair.Newsweek reports Clinton Stanley, Sr. and his six-year-old son, C.J., were turned away from A Book's Christian Academy in Apopka, Florida, on August 13, 2018.In a video posted to Facebook, Stanley said school administrators told him his son would have to withdraw from the school due to rules in the school's handbook, which say boys have to rock short hair and long locs are prohibited.Stanley told Newsweek, “[The administrator] told me: ‘We don’t allow boys with hair below their ears. We don’t allow dreads.’”"Can I put it in a ponytail?" the little boy can be heard asking in the video, and Stanley tells him the issue really wasn't the length, but the fact he has "dreadlocks."“I respect their rules, but it’s not right,” Stanley told The Orlando Sentinel. “Allow kids to come as they are. You are a Christian school. In the Bible it says, come as you are ... You deny a kid an education on his hair?”In the clip posted to Facebook, the father also referenced the Bible, asking the camera why a Christian school would turn his son away, arguing the Bible describes Jesus' hair as being "like wool."The Facebook video went viral and was shared over 10,000 times. In response to the publicity, Orange County Commissioner Rod Love said he understood Stanley's position, but also said rules are rules."I’m not vilifying Mr. Stanley, I know our children are our weak spot,” Love said. “We all have rules that we need to follow.”Love also claimed the attention has led to the school receiving a number threats. “They’ve got so many calls, threats and law enforcement has been here,” said Love. “It’s unfortunate we have to address something like this.”On a positive note, towards the end of the video, Stanley took time to instill a valuable lesson in his son, saying, "Don't worry, you're a king, man. You ain't cuttin' your hair for nothin!"Word! Having been rejected by A Book's Christian Academy, Stanley enrolled his son in nearby Lovell Elementary School. “That went fine,” Stanley said. “He’s in school now.”Now, check these out: Nursing Student Claims University Forced Her To Quit Her Program Because Her Natural Hair Was 'Too Big'A Principal Reportedly Cut This 11-Year-Old's Locs Against His Will, Then Made Him Pick Them Up Off The FloorTeacher Pulls Black Student's Locs, Steps On Him In Absurdly Bold Effort To Wake Him...

After all black women have done for Alabama, the state should put some respeck on their names.In 2010, Chastity Jones, an Alabama woman, was offered  a job as a customer service representative at a call center in Mobile. Some time after the interview, an HR manager informed Jones that dreadlocks violated the company’s grooming policy because they “tend to get messy.” The HR manager proceeded to tell Jones she couldn’t wear her hair that way at work. Jones refused to change her hairstyle, and as a result, Catastrophe Management Solutions rescinded the job offer.The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) took on Jones’ case, and on April 4th, filed a petition to add EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions to the Supreme Court— after previously being denied by both the Alabama District Court and the 11th Court of Appeals. It’s no surprise the state, which groomed both George Wallace and Jeff Sessions, is denying that this case is purely entrenched in racial discrimination. The LDF argues,“this is what modern-day racial discrimination looks like: sometimes subtle, yet intentional racial biases and stereotypes that make it hard for people of color to get jobs and advance their careers.” according to Vox.Jones’ lawyers wrote, “In an age where employment discrimination rarely presents itself in policies that explicitly exclude employees based on skin color, the vitality of Title VII depends on its ability to root out more subtle practices — facially neutral policies, racial proxies, stereotyped thinking — that still operate to disfavor applicants based on their race.”The federal courts argue race is a set of “immutable” traits shared by a group of people, hereditary characteristics that a person cannot change — such as skin color, hair texture, and facial features.Of course the LDF knows better, and says that race is more than a person’s biological traits, and that a growing body of research shows that race is also a social construct based on shared culture and identity. And with this argument, dreadlocks are so closely associated with black America that any company policy banning them is a race-based policy.The Supreme Court will begin picking cases to hear during its next term, in October, and so far has granted requests to hear eight cases. We hope Jones receives the justice she...