Past students of the famous Harrison College in Barbados have started an online petition protesting the school’s decision to outlaw the ‘twist-out’ hairstyle often worn by girls and women with natural hair.
The twist-out hairstyle is untwisted, un-combed hair.
The school has reportedly said the hairstyle is not appropriate for school.
The issue became a hit on social media after Elva Mary Tudor posted pictures last Thursday of her daughter wearing the ‘offending’ style.
In the caption to the photos, Tudor said her daughter’s hairstyle was considered “flamboyant” and “unsettling”.
She also added that her daughter has been the subject of negative comments.
Tudor said she finds the negativity towards natural hair “sad and backward”.
“We seem to dislike the look of tightly coiled strong hair”, she said.
Meanwhile, in their petition, past students have lambasted the school’s administration for banning the hairstyle.
The school has not commented publicly on the matter.
The petition is accompanied by an open letter to the principal, Juanita Wade, who took over the leadership of the 282-year-old institution in September.
The letter noted that the decision has implications for the ‘identity’ of the students.
“Not just in the Caribbean but wherever young, black women live we are told that our hair is somehow inadequate: it is ‘hard’ or ‘knotty’. It is not straight ‘enough’,”
In the call for the school to rethink its decision, the petitioners also said this needless condemnation of a style of wearing one’s natural hair is harmful and communicates a dangerous message.
The petition has garnered 500 signatures so far.
Meanwhile, the blog, ‘Feminist Conversations on Caribbean Life’ criticised the decision and made reference to Olive Senior’s famous poem Colonial Girls School which dealt with Eurocentrism in Caribbean schools.
According to the post, elite secondary schools in the region share a history of colonialism, racism, sexism, classism and anti-blackness.
Story seems like my reality lol
may god help us tings gone too far
Banning natural hairstyle in a Black country? kmt.
Isn’t Barbados a black country?? I guess they expect everyone to look like rihanna
I don’t support the ban but they did not ban all natural hair styles… With this being a high school that has been around for almost 300 years, the ones should not be surprised by the outlined action.
Harrison College needs to get with the times and forgo the mindset that did not permit the celebration/expression of our Afro-centric culture…
Barbados is a stupid country. I can tell u that much. Unnuh think a Jamaica suck up to white ppl. Try Barbados. Dem will mek white ppl doo doo pon dem. Dem full of self hate.
I can attest to that. After my last stop-over in Barbadoes I turned to my mother and sister and said “never again”. The way the black employees roll over (blacks) people with their cart to reach for white people luggage was all I needed to see. I stood their and just shook my head. The immigration officers were not much better. Dem gwaan speaky spokey to the white people dem but fi get dem manners when dem ha deal with dem own. I could go on about the lack luster meals served at their airport or the fact that the Island is so darn flat, not a hint of character. I know there are nice beaches, so wha? Every Island have nice beaches, a so it the thing set. (sign) All that is for another day. Anybody who get kicked out of Barbados should be proud ’cause I am sure they’ve been kicked out of better places. KMT bout black hair in look unkempt.