The way we treat eachother...Our Hair

Many of you last week saw the Crown Act's official campaign all up and down your timelines on Jul 3 official CROWN day in the USA.

The CROWN act is the official act addressing hair discrimination in the workplace and in public schools in the USA. As applied, this act benefits black women and children that want to wear their hair in braids, locks, afros,...or however we choose.

California was the first state to enact the CROWN act in July 2019. After California came New York, then New Jersey and there's a campaign for the rest of the country to follow. This campaign sparked what you saw last weekend for the CROWN Act to have it's day July 3rd. This year marked the first year CROWN day was recognized. So on July 3rd, if you scrolled up and down your timelines you saw your friends post photos of themselves that looked like this.

Politicians and celebrities joined in CROWN day and also posted their photo of themselves rocking their natural hair with the filter.

However, that's not why we're here right now. We're here, because as proud as I am for my sisters benefitting from the CROWN act, I'm concerned about my sisters overseas.

In Western European countries like UK and France women of color are fighting against hair discrimination through activists groups, because there's no specific law on point which protects against hair discrimination.


For example, in France there's a group called Sciences Curl which was founded at Sciences Po, one of France's premier universities. SciencesCurl  speaks out against the marginilization of women of color and against hair discrimination. It also supports  activities like "Free Her Fro" which educates women about care for their hair.

In the UK, there's a push for protection against hair discrimination to included in the UK Equality Act. Currently, there's no law in the UKwhich specifically addresses hair discrimination.

 However, in 2018  a woman in the UK won 8,500 pounds in a hair discrimination suit after she was repeatedly sent home from her school for having an afro. The school said her afro was too big and against the guidelines. The school has since taken down the guidelines but did not accept that it's actions were discriminatory. Hence why individuals such as Emma Dabiri (author of the book above) has called for the UK equality act to include hair. There's currently a petition to include hair in the UK Equality Act on change.org. Click here to sign

In reading this I was curious to see what happens in sub-saharan Africa. I'm firstgen Nigerian American and I know all to well how conservative workplace rules can be in Nigeria. So I decided to see what happens in other African countries as well. . . and I was disappointed.

In Congo, there was a scandal in 2018 when a university student was turned away from school because she wore her hair like this.

The University stated the woman's hair was an "uncombed afro". The student was forced to change her hair to a ponytail so she could continue attending the University.

Like seriously WTF! Could you imagine if an African student in the USA got sent home from an entire University because of the words "uncombed afro"(!!)

woo hoo hoo!! we would be up in arms. 

However, a Congolese university sends a Congolese student home and she is set to change her hairstyle...it's saddening that this got no attention. I know we're in 2020, but there's no news that the university changed it's policy.

I must say, even with the CROWN act, we still have work to do. As disappointed as I am in the Congolese University, I must say that even in states that have enacted the CROWN act in the US, the result would be the same if we don't push that the law includes every place of accomodation.

In New Jersey, the CROWN act is thoroughly inclusive as follows

...and that list goes on and on.

If the law isn't thoroughly inclusive then we may see a university perform hairstyle discrimination. Now, the university may not say uncombed afro(geesh), but there would be plenty a loophole. So we still have to push for our sisters here and our sisters across the pond. #fistsupafrosout

Oh no!!! You can't go.

Laicite trumps Muslim attire.....again????? awwwww mannn!!!

Remember back in the day when President Sarkozy was Senator Sarkozy and actually supported Muslim girls wearing hijab (headscarf) to school? Well not only have times changed, the music has changed as well, and President Sarkozy is singing to a very different tune.

Resolved: Laicite=secular, removal of religion from the state. France's explanation in advocating for laicite: to bring about equality in schools. In 2003 and on there was an uproar in Muslim girls having to remove the hijab if they were to go to public school. The French government stood firm on the issue.

Presently, legislation is moving so that women will not be allowed to wear the niqaab (face covering) in public. If they do, they will be sent home, the first and second time. The third time they will be issued a fine. The French government stands firm saying that the niqaab is not obligatory in Islam. Officials have also been noted as saying that women who wear it are submitting themselves to a lower position than men which goes against the French culture of equality. Claims have also been made that Muslim women are segregating themselves from the French culture so them taking off the veil will "assimilate" them into the culture.

My take? When I was in France I had friends of all backgrounds, but everywhere in this world is racism, and fear of the unknown. For the length of time that Muslims have been in France there is no excuse for "segregation" between the cultures. Neighborhoods that housed north African and middle eastern cultures were on the borders of most towns and (frankly) many French individuals openly spoke of their dislike/discomfort of the cultures. This being known, are they forcing themselves out of French culture or is the French government forcing them in. We've all seen this story before. How will it end this time?

France and Rwanda...Friends again?

France and Rwanda, cut diplomatic ties in 2006 when French judge, Jean Louis Brousiere, accused current Rwandan president Kagame, and other Tutsi officials of shooting down former Rwandan president Habyaremana's plane.The shooting sparked the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Sarkozy has announced he will be visiting Rwanda, making him the first French president to visit since the genocide in 1994. Rwanda, a former Belgian colony, was francophone until recently, when the judge's remark angered Rwandan officials into changing the official language to English. Diplomatic ties have been restored after a French official visited Rwanda. However, it still begs the question as to why, even before 2006, it has been so long since a French President has visited "the land of a thousand hills." Sarkozy's upcoming trip is very important for diplomatic ties between the two countries. His Presidency has never wasted time so I doubt that this will be an over rated trip, it's just interesting to see the events that will take place afterwards.