I was clicking through Instagram when I stumbled upon a petition reposted by a mutual friend of mine, and the headline instantly filled me with dread, no pun intended. The petition was made for Abeka Academy student Jacob Rush II to be able to participate in his high school graduation with his locs. 

Abeka Academy is a Christian private school where the requirements for graduation limit young men to no braids, dreadlocks, buns or ponytails. Not only is the blatantly prejudiced against the Black students there, but it is a complete contradiction of Christian values.  

For a Christian institution to prohibit male students from the graduation they spent 4 years earning on the pretenses of cultural hairstyles being deemed “inappropriate” is morally wrong and culturally insensitive. Suggesting that a student cut their hair, which might have any number of spiritual ties to the student, is simply a moral contradiction. After all, most Christian ideology supports the claim that Jesus sported His long, uncut locks until He made the ultimate sacrifice for us all. 

But these events all point to a much larger issue, which is that Black hair can still be institutionally discriminated against to the point where it prevents Black people from having equal opportunity in this country. 

I fear we celebrated the Crown Act in vain, because it isn’t even passed in all 50 states, far from it in fact. The act has only been passed in 12 U.S. states, and this is what I believe needs to change. There is no reason any corporate or academic institution should be justified in their discrimination against the appearance of Black hair. 

Beyond this, society also desperately needs education. Black hair has been a topic of debate for way too long, all because non-Black people don’t understand it.

The way our hair naturally grows from our scalp is seen as unkempt, and protective styles such as box braids that take us anywhere from 5 hours to days are considered “unprofessional.”

I have locs, and I’ve noticed that locs are so often seen as dirty and it’s often believed that they result from lack of hygiene and upkeep. They were even called “dreads” by white supremacists before we renamed them. In reality, locs are extremely high maintenance and spiritually binding. 

That’s why it broke my heart and also inspired me to see that a petition had to be made in order to hopefully allow this young man to walk across the stage with his locs. It’s often that I am reminded that there’s still work to be done for civil rights in America, and this is why I make sure my voice is heard.