Schools in Florida’s Newest Anti-Bullying Program Ban Dreadlocks, Braids And ‘Progressive’ Hairstyles
“Those students are being told that black hair is somehow by its nature anti-education, by its nature distracting, by its nature illegitimate,” said Emily Martin, vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women’s Law Center, which has studied how strict dress codes affect African-American girls in public schools. “It’s an incredibly disturbing thing to say to black girls and black boys,” Martin said of the dress codes. “And for girls, with these messages, it’s layered on top of messages about gender and sex. You can really see the double whammy of being told in such a personal way that you don’t measure up.”
