New York has become the second state in the US to ban discrimination against natural hair styles, following in the footsteps of California a few weeks ago.
According to ITV News, the provisions of the bill have come into immediate effect, with governor Andrew Cuomo saying: “We are taking an important step toward correcting that history and ensuring people of colour are protected from all forms of discrimination.”
The new legislation made changes to the Dignity for All Students Act, updating the definition of race to include “traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles”. These include styles like twists, locks and braids.
The Act was passed in California earlier in the month (July), making it illegal to discriminate against students and employees for their hairstyles. Back in February, the New York City Commission on Human Rights published guidelines banning discrimination based on hairstyle, with fines of up to $250,000.
The guidelines explained that restrictions or bans on natural styles often have their root in “white standards of appearance”, perpetuating stereotypes that suggest black styles are somehow unprofessional.
In the UK, according to the news source, there have been numerous cases of people claiming to have been discriminated against for their style of hair. For example, one school in Fulham apparently told a student with a Rastafarian background to either cut his dreadlocks off or face suspension.
And back in March, 17-year-old Kerion Washington hit the headlines after he was turned down for a job at Six Flags amusement park in Texas – although this does have a happy ending as the teen was offered a career as a model after the news broke!
As reported by the New York Post, Kerion was told that his shoulder-length dreadlocks were too extreme for the job in question but he could come back if he cut his hair.
Apparently, the story also helped the amusement park company change its policy, as well as attracting the attention of IMG Models.
Now that two big states have made moves in this direction, it’s definitely only a matter of time before others start taking similar action. In fact, according to WKAR, lawmakers in Michigan are already keen to join both NYC and California in preventing hair-related discrimination, with legislation amending the 1967 Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
Sponsor of the bill Rep Sarah Anthony explained that the issue goes beyond hair, saying that it’s really about letting individuals celebrate their own personal culture.
This article in the Guardian, published earlier this year, makes for an interesting read as well regarding the impact that hair discrimination can have, especially on young people’s self-esteem.
Written by Micha Frazer-Carroll, founder and editor-in-chief of mental health magazine Blueprint, the article talks of her own experiences with hair discrimination.
She wrote: “Braiding up your child’s hair and dotting the ends with beads might be an ‘extreme’ style in the eyes of some schools, but we can’t ignore the fact that society’s idea of what is ‘extreme’ is rooted in a white norm. Black hairstyles have extensive cultural histories: canerows, for example, aren’t a new ‘trend’ – black women have been rocking them from as early as 3000 BC.”
Ms Frazer-Carroll went on to ask what’s stopping the UK from bringing in similar laws to those in California. And while it might seem like a trivial issue to some people out there, the fact is that hair discrimination is “inextricably intertwined with racism and should be legally recognised as such”.
Another article of interest, this time on the Huffington Post website (also penned by Ms Frazer-Carroll), recounts young people’s experiences of this kind of discrimination, as well as the impact it can have on them.
Apparently, one academy in Surrey allegedly threatened to exclude a student for wearing bantu knots in their hair. And 24-year-old student from north London Yewande Adeniran recalled feeling publicly humiliated after contravening hair regulations on her local swim team aged 11.
She explained that she wore her natural hair at first but then opted for braids as a protective style. She was told that she either needed to cut it short or choose other sports to play, with the coach making “snide comments” about her appearance.
Given experiences such as these, it seems that there’s certainly no time like the present to consider bringing in laws banning hair discrimination in the UK, as in the US. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic so drop us a line to let us know what you think.
Looking for luxury black wigs at the moment? Take a look at our online shop to see what you can find.
