Skip to main content

Win for Girls Told to Straighten Natural Hair at High School



1BlessedNatural: Win for Girls Told to Straighten Natural Hair at Pretoria High School

The Black students at Pretoria High School for Girls in South Africa who said the school told them to straighten their have won their battle, for now. 

The ban on natural and all other styles has been temporarily suspended while the school's Code of Conduct is being reviewed. The removal of the ban was announced in a petition that was started to "stop the racism." To date, the petition has gained over 35, 000 signatures. 

It also states that a 21-day internal investigation will be performed on the school, policies, staff, and use of security measures for the students. It says,"The group that will review the Code of Conduct must include as wide a representation of the school as is practicable possible." In the school's Code of Conduct the students were not allowed to wear ponytails that would be seen from the front. This means no puffs or Afros. The hair had to be brushed back "neatly" into a ponytail and could not hang past the nape of the neck.

On August 26th, many of the students protested outside of  Pretoria High School for Girls. At the forefront of the protest was a 13-year-old student named Zulaikha Patel. When the students were told by guards they would be arrested, Patel held up her crossed wrists while she and other students yelled, "Take us!" The students have gained support from around the world.

The Department of Education in Gauteng released a statement to the media outlining their intervention at the school, some of which included the actions stated above. Aside from being told to straighten their hair, the students said they endured hurtful comments from other students and staff members. The press release said, "The learners feel that educators use abusive and demeaning language when they address them regarding their hairstyles. For instance some educators tell them they look like monkeys, or have nests on heir heads."

The Pretoria High School for Girls posted a letter on September 2, 2016 on their website, addressing their stakeholders. In the letter, the school makes a statement about racism by saying,"We wish to state categorically that we abhor racism and all forms of intolerance." Some of the things the school said they planned to do is perform an "organisational culture audit " and  "take remedial action based on the outcome of the audit."


1BlessedNatural: Zulaika Patel (photo cred: Facebook)




What do you think of the students' victory? 


                            1BlessedNatural Fridays: "Sarafina!" - The Lord's Prayer
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Aborigines and Melanesians: Naturally Blonde Hair and Dark Skin

Melanesia: Solomon Island girls (photo courtesy of the -cropped-Flickr- Australian Civil-Military Centre http://www.acmc.gov.au/ ) Naturally blonde hair is often associated with white or Caucasian people. However, there are groups of dark skin people who have naturally blonde hair also. Some of these groups include the Aboriginal Australians (Aborigines) and the Melanesians. I love this fact because it goes against the idea that one group or culture must look a certain way or stay in a certain category.  The Aborigines have dark skin. Some of them also have blonde hair which tends to be straight, but can be curly. Scientists first believed they were descendants of Eurasians. In 2011, scientists found evidence against the theory from a sample of natural hair. The sample of hair, which was said to be more than 100 years old, helped scientists determine that Aborigines were descendants of Africans. The New York Times confirmed this finding: "The Abo...
Read more

Asian Hair Trend: Afro Perms

Asian afro perm (photo courtesy of www.afrohair.net) When we talk about the topic of natural hair, we often talk about African-Americans or Black people perming their hair to look more like Caucasian or straight hair. But, what about people of other races attempting to make their hair kinky or textured like that of African-Americans? Afro perms, along with other Black hairstyles have been a long time trend in Asia. Because Asian hair grows naturally straight, the afro perm gives the hair a textured look. The afro perm is not an actual relaxer or perm kit, it's the use of perm rods to make the hair curly. The beautypot.com says, " An afro perm is made by not straightening the hair. It is made by creating hair bonds that make the hair curl. The hair stylist makes the hair into a new shape, using perming rods or rollers, and allows the new shape to develop ." Preparation for afo: perm rods in Asian hair (photo courtesy of http://www.redefini...
Read more

Priscilla Shirer Shares Her Natural Hair Story and Tips on IG Live!

Actress and minister of Going Beyond Ministries Priscilla Shirer shared her natural hair story and secrets on IG Live today. After receiving numerous questions about her long thick natural hair, she decided it was time to do a video. Shirer said, "I've decided that sometimes, to a woman, hair = ministry." Shirer started getting a perm at about 13 years old. During previous years, her mother would use the hot comb to straighten her hair. When Shirer was 24 years old, she noticed a circular patch of hair that had broken off on the side of her head. After she visited a doctor and they plucked a few strands from different parts of her hair, the doctor concluded that Shirer's hair was growing in healthy. However, it was something that she was doing to her hair that was making it break off. As a result, her doctor told her to stop relaxing her hair for 6 months. While driving home, Shirer had a breakthrough. She originally had no intention of following the doctor...
Read more