Politics of Black Hair: Why Grooming Rules Are Under Scrutiny Across the Diaspora
Negative connotations surrounding afro hair stem from the colonial period, a legacy that persists in grooming rules across the African and Caribbean diaspora. From schools in Ghana to workplaces in Britain, conversations around natural hairstyles are underpinned by colonial roots of 'respectability', raising critical questions about discrimination and cultural identity.
Recent Incidents Highlight Ongoing Tensions
Last month, a Jamaican woman, Michelle Scott, reported that her teenage son was pulled from lessons at Ardenne High in Kingston because school staff deemed his afro hairstyle inappropriate. The dean of discipline called me to state that my son has been removed, Scott said, questioning the decision to take a fifth-form student out of class for a haircut. The school denied removal but acknowledged speaking to him about an 'alleged infraction', citing Jamaica's grooming guidelines that require hair to be neat, clean, and well-maintained.
Similar disputes surface globally, even in Black-majority countries once colonised. In Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda, schools often require girls to cut their natural hair before enrolment. In Trinidad and Tobago, a student felt 'embarrassed' after being barred from graduation due to an unsuitable hairstyle. High-profile cases include Darryl George in the US, suspended for locs violating dress code, and Damon Landor, a Rastafarian suing a Louisiana prison for forcibly cutting his locs.
In the UK, incidents like Chikayzea Flanders, a 12-year-old told to cut his dreadlocks, and Ruby Williams, repeatedly sent home for her afro, underscore the issue. These examples reveal how colonial-era attitudes, despite independence, remain embedded in institutions, disproportionately affecting Black students and workers.
Historical Roots in Enslavement and Colonialism
Hair discrimination traces back to the transatlantic slave trade and Eurocentric ideals. In many African societies, hair signalled social status, community, or life stage. During enslavement, captives' hair was often forcibly shaved, stripping cultural markers. Olivette Otele, a professor of history of slavery at the University of Bristol, explained, The Middle Passage was characterised by power, fear, pain, humiliation and death. Removing their hair was one of many psychological tools used to show the enslaved that their cultural practices did not matter because they had become property.
While sometimes justified as hygiene, shaving served to assert power and erase identity. In the colonial period, European authorities imposed grooming rules discouraging traditional African hairstyles, describing afro hair in derogatory terms as 'unprofessional' or 'uncivilised'. This reinforced European standards as symbols of order and respectability.
Verene Shepherd, a professor emerita at the University of the West Indies, noted that colonial attitudes still influence school policies, disproportionately impacting Black students. Afro-textured hair and Black hairstyles have for a long time been regarded as problematic by some people, she said, citing comments that locs, twists, and other styles are not accommodated due to demands for uniformity. Shepherd, who has advised the Jamaican government on non-discriminatory policies, linked this to post-slavery conservatism, where Victorian gender orders regulated women's dress and hairstyles, a legacy persisting today.
Signs of Change and Legislative Reforms
Progress is emerging, though uneven. Michelle De Leon, founder of World Afro Day, acknowledged improvements, such as UK equality watchdog guidance on school uniforms to prevent hair discrimination, but highlighted ongoing legal actions in the UK and US over children denied education due to natural or cultural hairstyles.
In France, lawmakers backed legislation tackling discrimination based on hairstyle, texture, or colour, championed by Guadeloupean MP Olivier Serva. California became the first US state to ban such discrimination in 2019, with many others adopting the Crown Act, recognising hairstyle discrimination as racial discrimination. In the UK, schools can sign up to the Halo Code since 2020, pledging to end discrimination against black hairstyles.
Campaigners push for afro-textured hair to be a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, covering workplaces and other contexts. Caribbean reforms include Anguilla's 2022 national hair discrimination policy, Trinidad and Tobago's 2023 school hair code allowing locs, Afros, twists, and cornrows, and Sint Maarten's proposed legislation to prevent discriminatory grooming policies.
Melissa Gumbs, Sint Maarten's minister of education, criticised schools for hyper-focused, discriminatory policies traceable to colonial standards. While societies have evolved, the lingering perception that natural afro-textured hair must be controlled, altered or hidden to be considered 'acceptable' still echoes within some institutional policies today, she said, urging action to carve away remnants of that history.
