The same week that his state banned racial discrimination based on hairstyles, Darryl George, a black high school student in Mont Belvieu, Texas, was suspended for showing up — as he always has — with twisted dreadlocks.
School officials at Barbers Hill High School said the junior’s dreadlocks fell below his eyebrows and earlobes, which violated the district’s dress code. And despite his family’s disagreement with the situation, Darryl has repeatedly served week-long in-school suspensions since August 31.
Darryl’s mother, Darresha George, is fighting back against the suspensions and has also pointed out the harsh way in which Darryl’s suspension was carried out. “He has to sit on a stool in a cubicle for eight hours,” she said. “That’s very uncomfortable. Every day he came home, (and) … he said his back hurt….”
The incident is reminiscent of debates over hair discrimination in schools and workplaces, and is already a test for the state’s newly enacted CROWN Act, which went into effect on September 1.
The law, an acronym for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” aims to ban hair discrimination based on race, and prohibits employers and schools from penalizing people because of hair texture or protective hairstyles, including Afros, braids, dreadlocks, twists or Bantu knots. Texas is one of 24 states that have passed some version of the CROWN Act.
A federal version of the CROWN Act passed in the House last year, but was unsuccessful in the Senate.
For black people, hairstyles are more than just a fashion statement. Hair has always played an important role in the black diaspora, said Candice Matthews, national minister of politics for the New Black Panther Nation. (Her group is not affiliated with any other New Black Panther organization widely considered anti-Semitic.)
“Dreadlocks are seen as a connection to wisdom,” Ms. Matthews explains. “This is not a fad, and it is not about getting attention. Hair is our connection to our soul, our heritage and our connection to God.”
In the George family, all men have dreadlocks, going back generations. For them, the hairstyle has cultural and religious importance, his mother said.
“Our hair is where our strength is, those are our roots,” Ms. George said. “He has his ancestors locked up in his hair, and he knows it.”
Historians say braids and other hairstyles served as tools of communication in African societies, including to identify tribal affiliations or marital status, and as indications of safety and freedom for those captured and enslaved.
After slavery was abolished, black America became its politics. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, black people still faced professional and social stigma for not adopting grooming habits that fit into white, European beauty norms and standards .
The issue of hair discrimination based on race in the workplace has long existed, alongside concerns in public and private schools. In 2018, a white referee in New Jersey told a black high school wrestler to cut off his dreadlocks or forfeit a match. A viral video of the wrestler getting his hair cut with scissors as the crowd watched led to the referee’s suspension and led to the passage of the state’s CROWN Act.
Mrs George said her son has been growing his dreadlocks for almost a decade and the family has never received any backlash or complaints so far.
Barbers Hill Independent School District prohibits male students from having hair that extends below the eyebrows, earlobes or top of the collar of a T-shirt, according to the student handbook. When released, Darryl’s dreadlocks hang above his shoulders, but according to Mrs. George, he hasn’t worn his hair out since school started in mid-August. Instead, Darryl ties his hair on top of his head. Ms. George said she cannot understand how Darryl broke the dress code when his hair was tied
“I even had a discussion about the CROWN Act with the principal and deputy principal (after Darryl’s suspension),” Ms. George said. “They said the act doesn’t cover the length of his hair.”
This isn’t the first time the school has enforced its policy on hairstyles. In 2020, Barbers Hill officials gained national attention when they clashed with another Black male student, telling one student he had to cut his dreadlocks in order to return to school or participate in graduation.
The district defends its dress code, saying its policy is intended to “teach grooming and hygiene, instill discipline, prevent disruption, avoid safety hazards and instill respect for authority.”
Greg Poole, who has been district superintendent since 2006, said the haircut policy is legal and teaches students to conform as a sacrifice that benefits everyone.
“When you are asked to conform… and give up something for the betterment of the whole, there is a psychological benefit,” Mr Poole said. “We need more education (about) sacrifice.”
Nearby districts have less strict policies. For example, Mr. Poole noted that students in other districts are allowed to wear jeans with holes in them, while Barbers Hill does not. He said parents come to Barbers Hill for its high standards and high expectations, which he also said is due to the district’s academic success.
Attorney Allie Booker, who represents the George family, said the school’s argument doesn’t hold water because height is considered part of a hairstyle, which is protected by law.
“We will continue to fight because you cannot tell someone that hairstyles are protected and then be restrictive. If style is protected, then style is protected,” she said.
Mrs. George said she and her son refuse to conform to a standard set by someone who feels uncomfortable or ignorant.
“My son is well groomed and his hair does not distract anyone from his education,” Mrs George said. “This has everything to do with the government being biased towards black hairstyles, towards black culture.”
Darryl’s situation has sparked solidarity among young Black people across the country, who say they have long faced discriminatory dress codes and comments from adults about their hair.
“When I was in fifth grade, a teacher told me that my blue hair, my pink hair, was unnatural and too distracting for the other students in the class,” said Victoria Bradley, who lives in Detroit. Michigan passed the CROWN Act into law this year.
Ms. Bradley, whose hair is braided and currently dyed multiple colors, said she credits much of her hair confidence to her mother, Bernita Bradley, an accomplished hairstylist and director of parent voice for the National Parents Union.
Bernita Bradley said her first encounter with the CROWN Act was in 2021, when a biracial, 7-year-old girl in Michigan had her hair cut by a school employee without her parents’ consent. The girl’s father, Jimmy Hoffmeyer, filed a $1 million lawsuit against the school district, alleging racial discrimination and ethnic harassment. The lawsuit was settled earlier this year.
“That was modern-day scalping of this black child,” Ms Bradley said.
This is Darryl George’s first year at Barbers Hill High School. Last year he attended a school in nearby Baytown, Texas, where he had no problem sporting the same hairstyle, his mother said.
The family was told to make an appointment with the principal, Ms. George said.
After the suspension, “his grades are going down, which also means he can’t play football or participate in extracurricular activities,” Darresha George said. “He was on track to graduate early, but now he is falling behind and will have to work double time to still graduate.”
This story was reported by The Associated Press. Cheyanne Mumphrey reported from Phoenix.