In case you missed the recent madness in Jamaica, on July 31st, the nation’s highest court ruled that a Jamaican school was within its rights to demand that a 7-year old girl cut her dreadlocks to attend classes, however, a few days later the school has now lifted the ban, stating the little girl will be allowed to attend classes this September.
According to the Washington Post, the ruling by the Supreme Court of Jamaica capped a two-year battle after the girl — then 5 years old — was told she must cut her dreadlocks for “hygiene” reasons to study at Kensington Primary School in a Kingston suburb.
Jamaican School Changes Decision After Global Outrage
This news rocked the world and brought global outrage, that Jamaica (of all places) still held this archaic belief system!
Jamaica, a place where having dreadlocks is a symbol and crown of the native Rastafarian religion and national pride, was projecting self-hatred and prejudice masked as uniformity, and imposing this poison on a child!
Read the Washington Post’s original story here: Jamaica’s high court rules school can ban dreadlocks
On August 6th, the Washington Post ran an update on the backpedaled decision by the local school board. One can infer that the school’s apostasy is due to the global outrage – that a Jamaican school would even dare challenge the right for a citizen to wear their hair in dreadlocks.
“There is no question as to the admittance of the child,” said the Rev. Alvin Bailey, chairman of the board of Kensington Primary School, located just outside Kingston. “From the outset, no decision was taken to bar the child from the school.”
According to the WashPost; The court ruling on Friday sparked a national conversation on dreadlocks, Rastafarianism and identity that has connected with the global movement against racism ignited by the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd. The judges ruled that the girl’s constitutional rights were not breached in 2018 when Kensington Primary’s then-principal told her parents they had to cut her hair to secure her place at the prestigious public school.
UPDATE: Jamaican school now says 7-year-old girl with dreadlocks may attend
The article continued; In an opinion released Monday, Judge Sonia Betrtam-Linton said the school was within its rights to impose its policy of “no braids, no beads, no locking of hair.”
“The school, through its then Principal, indicated that her locks are prohibited as there is a possibility that the hairstyle would lead to a lice or ‘junjo’ [mold] infestation. It is my view that hygiene [is] a legitimate aim,” Bertram-Linton wrote. “The objective of creating a more controlled hygienic environment is important to the proper order and effective learning at the school.”
In my history knowing lice in children’s heads, those with straighter hair were more prone to…nevermind.
Many Jamaican citizens have voiced their outrage, including Beenie Man:
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness released a statement saying, “It is time to review and amend the Education Act to reflect a modern and culturally inclusive position that protects our children from being barred from any educational institution on the basis of wearing locks.”
SOUND OFF: Are you disappointed in the way Jamaica handled this issue of a dreadlocked child attending school? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW.
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