|
In 2016, Maylin Wattley explained that her son did twice “shadow for a
day” at Central Catholic and then he went to Discovery Day.
Before applying, Ms. Wattley spoke to the dean of students,
asking her if her son’s hair would be a problem.
In reply, she was told by the dean: “Ms. Wattley, I don’t consider your
son’s hair to be dreadlocks. I consider what Bob Marley had
the thick, clunky looking kind – that’s dreadlocks.” After
hearing this, Ms. Wattley stated that she was insulted by
that statement and the attitude of the dean was take it
or leave it, it is what it is.
“Rastas wear their dreadlocks to visually separate themselves from non-Rastas,
including Catholics. Rastas also believe that smoking
marijuana is an important religious sacrament.
If Ms. Wattley doesn’t like Central Catholic’s hair policy, she probably
also won’t like their drug policy. If they will not allow
her son to smoke pot, would that also be unacceptable? I
think not. And neither is their “no dreadlocks” policy.”
said Jim Darnall in a letter titled “Hairstyle ban at
Central is not racist.”
It is this kind of thinking that is the basis for such a ban in the
first place. The idea that all Rastas wear clumped locs,
listen to Reggae and smoke weed shows how those who support
the ban and the school’s ignorance and lack of research into
the hairstyle itself as well as the culture truly think of
this issue. It is something they cannot begin to understand
overnight, especially since they are unwilling to learn.
During the pre-meeting conversations, one parent shared how her son went
to get his locs cut off because he wanted to play football.
While she wanted him to keep them, he felt that with all the
negative attention Malachi was receiving, that he should cut
it and move forward with his team.
Many parents have now been given the same ultimatum – comply or leave.
The difference between the other students and Wattley is
that they were given more time to cut their hair before
disciplinary action was taken.
After the introduction was given by Earl, Maylin Wattley began unloading
the series of events that led to this war of rules and
rights. It is how the school has treated her son which fuels
the torch to shine a light on their racially biased rules,
she explained.
After being accepted and attending school a few days, Malachi was
approached in the hallway by the dean of students stating
that he needed to do something with his hair. After
an assembly on Friday where the announcement was made that
no dreadlocks, twistys or man buns were allowed, Malachi
returned to school Monday.
He was then pulled aside by a teacher who said he didn’t want to have to
do it, but he sent Malachi to the office because of his
hairstyle. When Malachi asked if the school would call his
mother, they would not allow him to, but when he asked to
call her they let him.
She arrived at the school after trying to speak to someone over the
phone and was told that his hairstyle was not acceptable.
Met with such resistance about this issue that was initially
said to be non-issue, Maylin took to Facebook to share her
frustration with the school’s stance on their unfair policy.
When the local news station saw this, they reached out to her and she
shared her story, resulting in the school distancing
themselves further from resolve and then resorting to
harassment and intimidation to try and force the Wattleys to
conform.
When Twila Page, founder of the African American Parent Advocates, saw
the news, she contacted Ms. Wattley to work with her on
addressing the issue. Even then, Page was given the wrong
phone number for contacting the Diocese. Eventually, Toledo
Diocese Director of Catholic Education Vincent de Paul
Schmidt, contacted her to find out what she wanted and when
she requested an appointment, he hurriedly told her they
could talk right now.
As Page related: when now wouldn't work, he pushed for a meeting
the very next morning which happened. During the meeting, he
made the interesting remark: “I have three black friends”
and another about his Chinese student living with him. Page
told him that was a racist remark. Standing up over Ms.
Wattley and Page, he asked the two to leave.
They have initiated a major “lock out” operation against this family,
said advocates. This type of situation occurred in
subsequent meetings with Ms. Wattley and Malachi, by
outnumbering them in the office, in order to intimidate them
and coerce them into compliance with their rules.
Malachi was singled out after his mother watched him being escorted into
the school when another student with flowing dreads walked
in without incident. When Ms. Wattley called foranother
meeting with the school to address this issue, Albert Earl
accompanied her, and the school also asked him to leave.
It was during this meeting Friday that the gloves came off, and the
school officlas presented her with an ultimatum, “comply or
leave,”
She sat as they held onto a red envelope. They explained that the
envelope contained a refund for tuition.
“Are you going to cut his hair?” said Head of School Therese Hernandez,
who was insistent. “She asked as a child who wants to know
if we’re are ‘there’ yet,” said Ms. Wattley.
In addition, Central Catholic upped the ante by threatening to remove
her daughter Sapphire Holston, a junior with a 3.9 GPA, from
the school as well because they don’t like the media
attention they are getting over this issue.
Ms. Wattley told the administrators she’d let them know by Monday,
September 11, 2017. If the children showed or not, then they
would have her answer. But before the evening grew late at
6:30 p.m, she received a phone call from Hernandez stating
that she wasn’t willing to wait until Monday. Both kids were
out now.
“I went to the third floor to put my stuff into my locker and I saw the
dean and president waiting for me. They asked me could I
come down to the office and I asked ‘is my mom coming down
to the office?’” Malachi remembered the moment he was met at
his locker after being escorted into school.
The school knew his mother was there since they called police to meet
the group of women who arrived the morning of September 5 to
escort him in. He had to call his mother, who was waiting in
the parking lot. “I was intimidated, but I didn’t want to
let them know I was intimidated because my son needed my
strength” Ms. Wattley said.
“I saw a paddy wagon and a patrol car pull up like I was a criminal,
like I did something wrong”. Malachi continued telling his
story. “It was embarrassing and everyone was watching me
being followed around the school.”
Sapphire Holston also spoke about how unfair her brother was treated
when she knew of other students with locs who were allowed
to attend classes and play in the upcoming game as long as
they cut their hair by Friday, September 8.
Her brother was sent home on September 5. She took it personally because
Malachi was singled out again. She attempted to pick up her
brother’s homework from the office and the staff refused.
“During the football pictures being taken, my friend Steven was there,”
she said. Steven was a young man who graduated from Central
who accompanied the family during the Tuesday morning
escort. “He told him to pick a side, either Central or them
and if Steven hung out with us, he would be in a lot more
trouble.”
The guests in the audience gasped.
Steven also spoke at the meeting, stating that he already earned his
diploma, so there is no problem for him in standing with
Malachi and his family.
“They drank the kool-aid,” Earl said as he explained what so many
African-American families face when choosing schools for
their children. “What type of school,” he asked
rhetorically, “would take Ed Choice vouchers and utilize
Toledo public school teachers for subs and tutors as well as
coaches, then impose unfair, racist rules on its students
while proclaiming to be ‘lovers of Christ.’
“If we got in the bus today and rode around to all the football fields,
they’d be jam packed with black parents, cheering for their
babies, and fighting if they had to. But where is the fight
when it comes to school choice?” he continued.
Since Central is private, the school can make its own rules and not be
held accountable to the Ohio Department of Education’s
standards for public schools, despite the fact that Ed
Choice is involved.
Chris McBrayer, a community leader and member of the Toledo NAACP,
talked about being in a tough spot. “This fight is not just
for inclusion, but for conclusion.” he said. “Why would you
let him go through shadow days and discovery days, allow him
to attend school, practice football and play in the game,
then say he cannot come to school?”
McBrayer gave revelation to a fact that in the state of Ohio, if you
attend school for five days and decide to transfer, than you
can no longer play sports and if you play in a contest and
decide to change schools, you are no longer eligible to play
as well. He further argued that if this matter was about
keeping the Catholic tradition and faith, in fact, why are
these coaches attending mid-city football games, recruiting
the best of the best for their teams if they aren’t going to
respect who they are in the name of diversity.
The issue is at a standstill for the moment. Malachi has not cut his
hair; the school has not changed its stance on refusing
admission; his sister Sapphire has been dismissed from the
school as part of the fallout and both youngsters are
seeking admission elsewhere.
Central Catholic
High School Imposes Dreadful Ban on Black Hairstyles
|
