Proposal seeks to address school hairstyle discrimination
May 23, 2021
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) A Black state lawmaker has proposed legislation that seeks to bar Illinois schools from issuing rules pertaining to hairstyles, saying it’ll address hairstyle discrimination.
State Sen. Mike Simmons, who wears his hair in free form dreadlocks, said he remembers what it felt like to be embarrassed at school because of his hair. The Chicago Democrat said he was also responding to news reports that a 4-year-old Black student was told to take out his braids due his Chicago school s dress code.
The proposal says schools “will not prohibit hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture, including, but not limited to, protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists.”