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“Black South African girls as young as 14 have resorted to public protests for the right to wear their natural hair at a prestigious, formerly whites only school. The image of a schoolgirl sporting an Afro and standing up to a white man went viral on Monday (Aug. 29).
Soon an online petition was launched asking South Africans to support the girls by demanding the school review what critics say are racist school policies. When education authorities met with students, parents and teachers, some of the girls cried as they recalled their experiences.
“I have a natural Afro, but a teacher told me I need to comb my hair because it looks like a birds nest,” one girl told the provincial head of education. Another said her mother forced her to cut her hair because she “didn’t want trouble” at the affluent school.”
– Huffington Post, A South African High School Has Banned Girls From Afros And Natural Hairstyles Because They Are “Untidy”.
“An affluent South Africa high school is under investigation for its rules against afros and other natural hair styles. On Aug. 29, students at Pretoria Girls High School walked out in protest catching global attention for taking a stance against and exposing on-going racism at the school.
Images of the protest went viral, birthing the hashtag #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirls and an online petition urging education officials to look into the schools policies.
Without explicitly mentioning afros, Pretoria’s general appearance policy, the school requires that all hair must be “neat” and away from the face.”
– VIBE, Young Revolutionaries: South African Students Protest School’s Ban On Natural Hair.
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World News is a project by David Bernie that uses the medium of posters that promote issues and stories from around the world.
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