Kinky Hair: A License to Discriminate?
Can schools and employers discriminate against black people because of their hairstyle? The recent story of DeAndre Arnold, a black high school student with locks, being propositioned to cut his locks or forfeit walking in his graduation has reinvigorated questions about natural black hair, ideas of professionalism, and acceptable grooming standards. Many are asking, why aren’t black people allowed to wear their hair the way it grows from their heads—kinky, full, and free. N