Hey people, hey.
Tonight I logged into my facebook account to see a well articulated and expressed letter written by a woman I love dearly, talking about how her 5yr old child was not accepted into Hill Top Preparatory School in Barbados because he wears locs. Read on.
A Mother's Account of Discrimination at Hill Top Preparatory School by Ayesha Nura Delpeche
“They said that I can’t go to that school because I have locs…but, I don’t want to cut my hair, Mommy.”
These are the words that came out of the mouth of my 5 year old on September 1st, 2011 after he and his father went to the orientation held at Hill Top Preparatory School, located in Welches, St.Michael on the island of Barbados.
In the attempt to be as clear, transparent and truthful as possible, I will recount the events that led up to this statement as best I could to shed some more clarity and light onto this situation.
My little boy, a Barbadian by birth, has lived and attended schools in both Barbados and the state of Florida in the United States. Never once has he had to cover or cut his hair. His hairstyle is one of choice, not based on religion, but nature. His hair naturally locs, as does his mother’s, his aunties’ and uncles’, grandmother’s and cousins’. If my child decided to cut his hair tomorrow, it would not be a big deal. After all…his hair is just that…hair.
During the last week in the last term of school for the 2010-2011 school year, his father went to Hill Top Prep and was given a form to fill out, along with the school policy. He was told that he would receive a call with a time to meet for an interview. He was also told that all school fees must be paid by or on the first day of school.
We (the parents) sat down and filled out the form. The only thing that the school policy has that speaks about hair is a line that states very clearly, “No fancy haircuts.” We ensured that all of the information was correct, and then proceeded to mentally make a list of things to do before sending him back to school, which included purchasing his uniform and getting him in to see his pediatrician. So far…so good.
Up until the day of orientation, we had not heard anything back from the school. Being that we had gotten the form so late in the term, we thought that they probably did not have time to call us or they had accidentally disregarded it. Yet, by all means, we were sure that once our little boy made it to the orientation and we paid the fees, everything would be full steam ahead.
My son left home that day dressed in his new school uniform, extremely happy to be going back to school and meeting his new friends and classmates. However, upon arrival the Headmistress made it very clear that locs were not acceptable in Hill Top Preparatory School. She went on to say that HAD we come to the interview and HAD we read the school policy, we would have been aware of this fact.
At this time, my son’s father asked her if she could point out where it was stated in the school policy, as we must have overlooked it. After about five minutes of rummaging around and shifting paper, she showed him the same line quoted earlier. “No fancy haircuts.” She also went on to explain that another child “just like” our child, had come to the school with locs, yet he didn’t feel comfortable because he was “different” and a few weeks into the term, he wanted to cut his hair, which brought about some confusion. Confusion for who and why…I am not sure.
Please keep in mind that, up until now, she has not so much as looked at my child to say, “Good Morning.”
My son was pulled aside by his father, who, as best he could, calmly explained to our little boy, (who was growing more and more uneasy by the moment) that the Headmistress was implying that in order for him to attend Hill Top Prep, he would have to cut his hair. He asked him if he wanted to cut his hair. He received an emphatic and unapologetic “NO!” He asked one more time, just to be sure…and he received, again, the same response.
At this point, they turned around to tell the Headmistress, “Thanks, but no thanks…”, yet, she was no longer there. She had already turned her back and gone ahead in to the orientation to speak with the parents of children who did not have “fancy haircuts”, some of whom needed to find out any information they didn’t get because some of them, just like my child, didn’t get to set up an interview.
My child went home that day, sad and disheartened. As a mother, one of the worst things is to see your child when he feels that he is defeated. Needless to say, I was livid. The more I thought about it, the less sense it made.
For the past two days, I have asked around and found out that, while Hill Top has accepted children with locs in the past, they have also denied access to children in the past because of this same hairstyle. I want to make it abundantly clear that my child was refused entry into this school, not because the school was filled to capacity, nor because we missed the opportunity to have an interview, but because his hairstyle is, in the eyes of the people who run this primary school, seemingly unacceptable and inferior.
It amazes me…and yet it doesn’t…that in a country where the Afrikan descendants make up at least 85% of the population, a hairstyle as natural as locs is looked down upon. In 2008, this issue came to light when 5 students were barred from classes at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic because they had a similar hairstyle. Again in 2008, on June 17th to be exact, I’Akobi Tacuma Hembadoon Maloney met his death while in the custody of police. The reason the police approached him in the first place was because they stereotyped him based on his hairstyle.
How can we as citizens in this country continuously turn away from blatant discrimination and victimization?
Some of you may read this and think, “So sad it had to happen this way, but she can simply find another school…” or “Better them than me.” And you may very well be right. Yet what we don’t realize, and we usually don’t until it is too late, is that the old adage “Today for me…Tomorrow for you” is still very real and relevant in circumstances just like this one.
In the Constitution of Barbados, which can be found online at http://www.barbados.org/constitution.htm/htm it clearly states that (under ‘Protection from discrimination on grounds of race, etc.) “No law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect; and no person shall be treated in a discriminatory manner by any person acting by virtue of any written law…”
It goes on to say, “the expression “discriminatory” means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which person of another such description are not made subject or are accorded (afforded) privileges or advantages which are not afforded to persons of another such description.”
As I said earlier today in a conversation, this is not just an injustice to my child, yet all of those children who would have been his schoolmates, as they are being prevented from socializing and learning alongside someone who the Headmistress would define as “different.” In my opinion, this is where the cycle of victimization, discrimination and stereotyping begins. I also wonder where this subjectivity comes in to play. What determines which children with locs are accepted? Is it gender, age, monetary donations from family?
It deeply troubles me that these are the sort of people who are in charge of raising our future. Something has to be done…sooner or later. I am in favor of the former.
Sincerely,
Ayesha NuRa Delpeche
We've all seen discrimination in the workplace, yeh? Either you don't get hired for a job or you're told your hair looks unprofessional and untidy. But this beautiful, amazing 5 year old boy should never have been subjected to this kind of blatant discrimination!! Especially not in a country whose race is predominantly of African descent!!!!!!
For all of you unfamiliar with my little island, Barbados is one of the first places the slavers stopped after raping Africa of it's people. Sometimes an entire day could pass and the only local people you see are of your race, a myriad of beautiful shades. So how the he....*1..2..3...* How can you justify this kind of discrimination in Bim today? You can't!!!
But you know what? It's our fault. I just read this entire letter aloud to someone and asked, "How does this make you feel?" I was told, "No way. It didn't evoke any emotion." Today for me, tomorrow for you. We as humans tend not to care about something 'as long as it isn't me'. We fail to realize that it could be!! My daughter or my son could grow to adulthood, choose to wear locs and be discriminated against at college or in the workplace and I would be very tempted to forget the Christian values I'm holding onto (very tightly as I write this) and go and scratch out some idiot's eyes for daring to treat my child in such a manner!
Some of us conveniently forget that it could happen to us. It could happen to me, it could happen to you. Don't tell me foolishness about "oh, but you already know we have alot of discrimination". That's not the bloody point! The point is...there shouldn't be. WE should never let it be.
Spread the word. A change is coming. I can smell it and I'm digging my sneaks out of the closet.
Love,
Lee.
