I believe that my experience with students in the classroom has greatly informed my work today as a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leader for my school. As a teacher at heart who values community, I often think back to past experiences with my students and how we have explored, celebrated, and protected our cultural identities. Although there are opportunities to do this within the academic curriculum, Black students’ cultural identity is often reflected in the way they dress and style their hair.
Black hair represents art, creativity, history, and connection. Black hair is so dignified and highly valued in the black community that it is often referred to as: our crown. At any time I could look around the classroom and see these crowns take the form of braids, bantu knots, bantu, twists, coils, curls, locs, line-ups, parts, waves, puffs, afros, etc. .
Unfortunately, these crown jewels, while beautiful and diverse, are still under intense scrutiny in the school system.when we met news report or research study This angers and excites me because it highlights the race-based discrimination that black students experience in American schools, especially regarding black hairstyles. As I observe the impact of this policing on Black students, including those I have taught, I am inspired to work with students to challenge these systems and racist perceptions about hair. I feel wanted.
When I designed a collaborative unit that had students explore the historical, social, political, and cultural context of Black hair and ways to reclaim Black hair, this research inevitably found its way into our curriculum.
How Black Hair Became Political
“Colored or inappropriate hairstyles are not allowed.”
This was a guideline codified in the student handbook at the school I called home for the first two years of my teaching career. During my tenure as an English language arts teacher, I witnessed the policing of blackness in schools on an institutional and interpersonal level. People come to my desk crying because they are afraid that they will be punished or publicly shamed because their hair does not meet the “standards” of what is considered acceptable or appropriate in a school setting. There are also students who
School policies that racially discriminate against traditional black hairstyles as ugly and unprofessional target black students, impacting not only their self-esteem but also their ability to engage in schoolwork.according to Research in 2021 Dove’s research found that 53 per cent of black mothers said their daughters experienced racial discrimination because of their hair, including daughters as young as five years old. The study found that this number rose for black children attending predominantly white institutions.
As you can see from recent news As more Black students are suspended and disciplined for their hair, racist practices persist in K-12 schools, negatively impacting Black students’ ability to feel a sense of belonging in their school communities. is affecting. The problem isn’t black hair. The question is how the system regulates black hair.
It’s (not) just hair!
Since I was a child, societal norms have ruled my hair. Whether my mother presses a hot comb through my hair on the stove on Easter Sunday or my sister braids my hair into intricate, geometric designs, society marks my hair, Some considered it a disruption of social order.
In particular, I remember being faced with societal perceptions of black hair while participating in a high school mock trial competition. Before each competition, I put my micro braids back into a tight bun and removed all hair accessories. As black students on the mock trial team, we chose hairstyles that would not disrupt social order or be distracting. Although we were a highly competitive and well-respected team, we were expected to conform and adhere to social norms that were inherently anti-Black.
I shared these experiences with my students, and unsurprisingly, they were able to relate. For many of my students, I was their first, and in some cases, only Black teacher. My students were full of insights and opinions on the subject of Black hair, and our discussions about hair and cultural expression reached a depth that is often not explored in a classroom setting. Given my own experiences with hair in schools and students’ varying reactions to hairstyles, I have a lot of questions about what hair means to them, what hair means to the culture, and what hair means to me as a student. I wanted to know more about what it meant.
Always wanting to write about themselves and their lived experiences, I quickly changed their morning writing assignment to ask, “What’s the story about your hair?”
In their responses, I observed a rich tapestry of cultural identity formation that is often unexplored and unrecognized in educational settings. Their stories centered around hair milestones, innovative styling techniques, hair shaming, and the racial profiling they experienced because of their hair.
Seizing the opportunity to elaborate on their engagement and interest, I began developing a unit that encouraged students to explore hair stories and create spaces that affirmed hair’s rich diversity.
Kurokami Monogatari Project
In this project, which I affectionately called “Hair Stories,” students were challenged to work individually or in groups to share the story of hair through historical, social, and political perspectives. . Exploring, researching, learning, and building together was the hallmark of this experience. While the students worked, a group of young women put on a spoken word performance celebrating the diversity of black hair, past, present and future.
“So, Mr. Watson,” Jamaria said excitedly as she approached my desk. “I want to pretend that the stage is a hair salon and wear each hairstyle that I talk about in the poem. It will be as if the hairstyle is speaking to the audience.” During the performance, I would like to wear these hairstyles. Young women introduced, affirmed, and celebrated braids, Bantu knots, pressed and curled hair, and Afro hair in spoken word.
Meanwhile, another student, Kenneth, decided to work alone while interviewing for a job as a barber at the barber shop where he and his father cut their hair every other Saturday. I remember he started his presentation with his 2 minute clip of “barber shopis a comedy-drama about a day in the life of a barbershop on the south side of Chicago.
From this clip, we understood that Black barbershops are a cultural centerpiece in Black communities and are worthy of investment and protection. As the clip ends, Kenneth connects this fictional black barbershop to his own barbershop, which he has been using since he was 4 years old.
Kenneth proudly and confidently introduced us to the barber shop’s staff, including photos. He explains the journey to becoming a barber, the different barber tools and their functions, haircut styles and prices, community support through fundraising and free haircuts, and even how students can help themselves to become a barber. We talked about the steps you should take yourself.
Although the student handbook caused anxiety and trauma for Black students, we created a safe environment in our classrooms to explore and celebrate this aspect of our cultural identity. In our classrooms, black hair did not determine what was appropriate or inappropriate. Black hair did not come with different expectations and consequences. Black hair was free and versatile. Through this process, we were able to reclaim the power of black hair.
Protection of black hair in schools
As I reflect on the connections, joys, and challenges I experienced as a student and have explored the many facets of blackness, it is my hope that my classroom and my students’ experiences will inspire more educators and school leaders. Help students understand what hair is for black students. It holds great cultural values and expressions of identity.
The racial hair discrimination that many Black students face disrupts their learning experiences and complicates their social identities. We must move away from asking them to compromise parts of their cultural identity and fit them into puzzles that are too demanding for their growth and well-being.
We must take action to support the right of Black students to wear their cultural hairstyles without shame and without consequences. Let’s start by signing. pledge To eliminate hair discrimination at work and school.
