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During the
last school week, an announcement was made over the PA
system, that dreadlocks are not an acceptable hairstyle.
When Wattley returned to school following this announcement
with his dreadlocks, he was disciplined and placed in
detention.
The
handbook reads:
For
gentlemen students:
Fad hairstyles (spikes, mohawks, dreadlocks, twisty's,
ponytails, carvings or man-buns) are not accepted. The
assistant principal of campus ministry and discipline is the
final judge of what is acceptable.
For
ladies: All
hair must be a natural color, neat, clean and well groomed
(no dreadlocks).
“This rule
does not reflect the love of Christ towards all people. Nor
does it reflect the heart of Pope Francis,” said Marriane
Barrera of Grand Rapids, MN a national supporter of the
Wattley family.
Following
the disciplinary action, Ms. Wattley and local parent
advocate, Twila Page, met with the superintendent of the
Catholic Schools, Vincent DePaul Schmidt, PhD. Schmidt, who
is new to the schools as of August 1, 2017, came to Toledo
after serving in Charleston, West Virginia and St. Louis
(near Ferguson), Missouri. The previous cities in which he
has served have been under scrutiny for their roles in
keeping racism alive in America.
In
November of 2016, then mayor of Charleston, WV, Beverly
Whaling, resigned from office following backlash she
received after posting a comment on a racist rant against
former First Lady Michelle Obama, on Facebook. The racially
charged comment was originally posted by Clay County
Development Corp. director Pamela Ramsey Taylor who made the
post following Donald Trump’s election as president.
Her post
said: “It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful,
dignified First Lady in the White House. I’m tired of seeing
a Ape in heels.” The former mayor replied “Just made my day
Pam.” West Virginia itself is a state made up of only four
percent African Americans.
Schmidt
had been hired as the Charleston school superintendent after
working several years in St. Louis, Missouri, which is near
Ferguson, the location where Mike Brown was gunned down by
police officers, sparking a national outcry for justice and
reform in racism. His position on the current handbook's
rule on dreadlocks and twistys is that he has no intention
of changing or removing the current stipulation. He
suggested that perhaps something could be done for the next
school year. Page described Schmidt as condescending,
bellicose and disrespectful during the meeting.
Tamara
Eldridge of Myrtle Beach wrote “I am a former Toledo
resident and I am concerned about how students of color,
especially girls, are being victimized by such policies and
made to feel shame about their natural beauty. This is an
example of institutionalized racism. It must be stopped.”
When the
news of this hairstyle ban hit social media, several people,
including many alumni, made phone calls, sent emails and
wrote comments on the school’s Facebook page. News of this
ban has reached the US Virgin Islands, where the Wattley
family is originally from and is being reported on media
outlets, including catholicculture.org.
A new
grassroots organization, the Ohio Natural Hair Coalition,
started a petition, addressing the local diocese and school
administrators to not only remove the rule from their
handbook, but to also take the time to learn about
hairstyles that are specific to African Americans. Their
rules are based on bias, ignorance and fear of what they
don’t know or rather an understanding of what they think
they know.
Their
generalization of styles that are a fad, not well groomed,
unclean and unprofessional include natural hairstyles such
as dreadlocks and twists, both common styles worn by both
males and females of African descent. The petition, in its
updates, highlights the offense of the term “twistys” a term
coined by whites who don’t know what to call black
hairstyles.
A portion
of the petition states “This school, like others as well as
employers around the US, should be educated on what natural
hair is and what styles are worn by those who have natural
hair, the hair that African Americans are born with. Being
told that their twists or locs are unacceptable is an
infringement on their rights to be who they organically are,
melanated, with curly, coily and fluffy. Hair that naturally
grows upward, has long been banned in school and employee
policies.
When Afro
hair is groomed, it is most often fashioned into braids,
twists and locs; to ban this from any institution is a
subtle effort to remind African Americans that they are not
welcome or accepted as they are, lest they change or alter
themselves in a way that is more comfortable for others.
Even in that, the African American will always be considered
threatening, hard, angry, aggressive, unintelligent, special
needs or unacceptable. “The petition entitled “Unlock Biases
Toward African Americans With With Natural Hair and Locs in
School” has reached over 600 signatures since it was created
on August 31.
This is
the
second time
Central Catholic has been under public scrutiny for this
type of rule. In 2011 they were challenged by the community
when a senior, who was enrolling for classes, was told that
her dreadlocks were unacceptable and she was to cut them off
prior to returning. It was assumed that the school, after
receiving many letters and phone calls, eliminated the rule
in its online handbook to appease those who called in
against it. But in a shocking revelation last week, that
student came forward and admitted that she was only
permitted to complete her high school education and graduate
without incident if she agreed not to go to the news or
encourage community members to protest in front of the
school. It was also revealed that while the online handbook
was altered to remove the rule on dreadlocks, the in-print
handbook remained the same throughout the years.
In spite
of all the attention this story has received, the school has
refused to budge on its position citing that the students
should simply comply. In a letter sent to Ms. Wattley,
Central Catholic High School's, Head of School, Therese B.
Hernandez stated:
"
Malachi's current hair length and color do not comply with
the handbook and will need to be adjusted before he is
allowed to return to school on Tuesday September 5, 2017.
Failure to do so will result in Malachi not being permitted
to attend classes. Central Catholic High School is rooted in
the mission of the Catholic Church and the message of Jesus
Christ. All parents and students are expected to respect and
support our philosophy of education, policies and
procedures..."
Ms.
Wattley shared this letter on her social media page along
with videos of her son talking about his connection to his
hair and culture. While there are many who are supporting
the family in their efforts to resolve this issue with the
school, there are others who do not support them, stating
that they should follow the rules or leave. There are also
several African-American men who, while they appreciate the
cultural and spiritual significance of dreadlocks, they
prefer that their sons select shorter hairstyles.
Some of
these men, who are often faced with racial profiling and
assumptions from law enforcement have an authentic fear of
their sons being profiled because of their hairstyles, so it
is less stressful to have their sons clean cut and clean
shaven. One father even stated that just as women enjoy
getting their hair done, there is something about stepping
down from a barber chair with a fresh cut that makes them
feel good about themselves.
Because
the school’s handbook also states that the final judgment is
up to the school’s assistant principal, it leaves the rules
in limbo as some rules may be enforced while others are more
relaxed. Since Ms. Wattley went to the school to address his
hair before enrolling her son and paying his tuition, she
has been blindsided with the sudden change of heart and is
left in a panic, not knowing what next steps to take
regarding her son’s education.
Kimberly
Dale of Canton, MI wrote: “I am an African American woman
practicing in a healthcare setting with a doctorate degree
and I wear my hair in a form of dreadlocks. They are not
unclean nor ungroomed. Your school would do well to learn
more about a variety of hairstyles rather than assuming that
they are "fads", or not Natural.”
This has
long been an issue that many African-American adults have
faced in the workplace, but today, it is trickling down to
our children, causing them to challenge who they are; to
make them believe that their natural beauty isn’t acceptable
and they must change something about themselves in order for
others to believe they are worth educating and employing.
Without a real conversation between the school and parents,
it will be nearly impossible to see a change in the rules
because in reality, it remains true, that people prefer
ignorance over knowledge.
This
school demonstrates that it is confident in what it believes
instead of what its staff should know about us. Black hair
and black skin is still being treated as an exception to the
human race. Even former President Obama, who had lighter
skin, shorter hair, was clean shaven and highly educated
couldn’t escape the preconceptions of white America even
after being elected into office. Their fear is being
translated into all of the hateful activities taking place
from the White House down to the nationalist rallies and
given this current climate, “black anything” will be
considered an anomaly.
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