Afro hair discrimination

News Resources to avoid ‘unlawful’ Afro discrimination

THE Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has warned schools it is “likely to be unlawful” to have uniform and appearance policies that discriminate against Afro-textured hair.

The EHRC published non-statutory guidance in October to prevent hair discrimination. In it, schools are urged to make exceptions to any policies based on race or religion, to comply with the Equality Act 2010. They are advised not to ban pupils from wearing their hair in any way associated with their race, including natural Afro styles, braids, cornrows, plaits and head coverings, among others.

Catherine Koroma Whitfield, NEU race equality policy officer, said: “On the one hand, those of us who have been campaigning around this issue are relieved. On the other hand, we are perturbed as to why it has taken until 2022 for this form of prejudice to be highlighted as ‘likely’ to be unlawful.

“Many people who have faced the brunt of this discrimination – who were children at the time – have long recognised the absurdity of uniform policies that prevent us from wearing our hair in the way it naturally grows.”

In 2020 the EHRC successfully represented teenager Ruby Williams, who had repeatedly been sent home from school because of her Afro hair.

The new guidance comes in the form of resources designed to assist school leaders in ensuring their policies are lawful and non-discriminatory.

Activists and supporters of race equality initiatives welcomed the EHRC’s findings. World Afro Day (WAD) has campaigned vigorously against hair discrimination and contributed to the guidance.

WAD’s founder and chief executive, Michelle De Leon, said: “Our work supporting families, protecting children and educating school leaders shows that this extra guidance is needed. We hope that these resources will be an effective tool to clarify equality law for teachers and help shift the bias against Afro hair that has become ingrained in some parts of the education system.”

Ruby Williams, aged 14 in 2016, the first time she was sent home from school because of her natural hair

n Download the guidance at bit.ly/3txMhEG

Miss, can you twerk? The intersection of racism and sexism

“MISS, can you twerk?” is just one of the questions a Black female teacher was asked by pupils on a daily basis. Other comments included asking to touch her hair, “is that a wig, miss?” and “do you take drugs, miss?”. At the Black educators’ conference (pictured right) this year, NEU staff launched It’s Not OK, a toolkit for preventing sexism and sexual harassment in schools. Workshop attendees explored where they have seen sexism in their schools – for example, uniform policies that view girls’ bodies as a problem or a ‘distraction’, poor maternity rights, a lack of menopause policies and the challenge of extremist influencers online who promote misogyny. But for Black female staff, sexism can at times look very different. As Satvinder Kaur, workshop cofacilitator, explained: “If Black women want to seek help, or report sexual harassment, they are not starting from the same baseline as other women. They might be worried about facing more racism if they report.” And quotes from staff in the workshop showed this is the case. One woman explained that when she complained about poor treatment of her maternity rights, as a Black woman, she was portrayed as ‘too aggressive to negotiate with’. Another teacher said: “The authority of us, as Black female staff, isn’t respected. We are not taken as seriously by pupils as other teachers.” The NEU will be using this discussion to create new tools for the It’s Not OK toolkit to address the intersection of racism and sexism. n Visit neu.org.uk/end-sexismsexual-harassment

By Satvinder Kaur and Lucy Russell