#StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh

Panyaza Lesufi on Pretoria Girls High School

Pretoria Girls High Students Protest to Wear Natural Hair

Black British women react to protests over natural hair in South Africa.

White Doll, Black Doll. Which one is the nice doll?

White girls get black dolls for Christmas; watch what happens

Dr Umar Johnson: I don't hate anybody. Love yourself first. Take off the weaves.

Zulaikha Patel

by abagond

Zulaikha Patel (c. 2003- ), a South African schoolgirl, was punished by her school, Pretoria High School for Girls, for wearing her hair in an Afro. She had changed school three times because of her hair. This time she led a protest against the school's racist rules.

Her older sister Amira says:

"My sister has gone through a lot of bullying, she's had to change school three times because of her hair. Other children would laugh at her and say, "Oh my god, your hair looks like a cabbage". It broke my heart.

"She'd cry everyday when I picked her up from school. She'd get home and cry because of how she was treated because of her hair, and say that the school said her hair is a distraction and called it exotic.

"I'm kind of glad that she's done this but I'm also concerned about how it's going to affect her emotionally at a later stage. I know her, she's a very fragile person. What led to her to actually start this movement is the pain that she's felt when looked down upon, constantly feeling like she needed to be accepted or change herself to be accepted."

Nathi Mthethwa, the Arts and Culture Minister:

"Schools should not be used as a platform to discourage students from embracing their African identity"

But that is not what is going on.

Pretoria High School for Girls is widely considered one of the best high schools in the country's capital. But it was all-White in the days of apartheid and even now, with more than half of its students Black, it still makes them wear their hair in unnatural European styles and speak only in European tongues. In Africa!

The school's code of conduct is something students agree to before being admitted, but they have little choice if they want a good education: the free government schools for Blacks are terrible. And Pretoria High does not just enforce its rules, it does it in a way that makes Black girls feel like dirt. Some teachers tell them they look like monkeys or have nests on their head. Afros do not even appear in the school's code of conduct - because they count as "unruly" or "untidy" hair!

Protests were a long time coming. The example of Black Lives Matter gave the schoolgirls courage. So did Twitter and other social media. They use the Twitter hashtag #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh and have a petition that over 25,000 have signed. Their protests have been non-violent. They made news nationwide and even overseas.

Courage: They needed even more courage than they imagined: when they came to the school for a yearly family event, they were met with men with machine guns and attack dogs.

Victory: On August 29th 2016, Panyaza Lesufi, the province's education minister, came to school. He met with some the girls, who broke down crying as they told him what they go through. Then he met with the schoolmistress. He gave her three weeks to change what he calls "stone-age rules".

Bleed the beast and Support the only solution to injustice, "Black African Pan Nationalism"

List of assured and recognized Nationalist fundraisers

www.gardeninggiftsformother.blogspot.com

Supporting all these worldwide fundraisers would cost about 50 U.S Dollars. Give as much as you can, it all goes to support infrastructure for African American communities.

Our main donation page at OyoTunji African Village. We are raising $15 dollars per month via 100, 000 brave lionesses and lions, who are ready to support a Black Nationalist economy. $127,000,000 million in 7 years, lets keep it going strong. Click here:

http://www.oyotunji.org/contribute.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Help save Gullah Gee Chee land. Fighting hard for African liberation since the 17th century, descendants of Angola, the Gullah Gee Chee people, managed to preserve some of their native tongue, their ancestry culture and pride. From slave revolts to freeing other slaves, civil rights struggle, Pan-Africanism, many of the members of the famed, "Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church" of Charleston are Gullah Gee Chee descendants. Because of the low state of economy of South Carolina's Low Country, government seizure of their lands and vicious taxation, many Gullah people are losing their lands. But you can help them out with a small donation. Here is their GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/panafricanfamilyem 

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Dr. Umar Johnson's fund me page. Click here: https://www.gofundme.com/DrUmar

He is raising $5 Million dollars for a high tech private school for our young boys. If we could reach 300,000 people this would give Dr. Johnson his $5 Million for the school. A girl's school would be the next ideal mark and also Queen's club where our women can gather for they are the leaders of the family's interest.

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Also support the Collect Black People Movement. They have a .27 a cent day, $8.10 fundraiser a month, they already have a thousand people signed up. Click here: http://www.cbpm.org/neweconomicplan.html

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Much love for my believers on the Nation of Islam they also have a fundraising that's set at .30 cents day, about $10.00 a month. They are shooting for 16 million people, trying to raise about 250 million in a year. Click here: http://www.economicblueprint.org/

For more info: http://noimoa.com/

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Empire Washitaw De Dugdahmoundyah. The Nation of ancient American Mound Builders they came before Columbus from Africa on Egyptian boats. Africans were sailing the seas for thousands of years. The Washitaw are ruled over, like the Gullah, by a Queen Mother, Her Highness Devine: Empress Wendy Farica Washitaw. Please show your support for their nation. We are only as strong as our weakest link as African Diaspora. The Washitaw donation page: http://empirewashitaw.org/index.php?p=1_15_Make-a-Donation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please support all these Black Nationalists efforts to provide true economic freedom and total liberation for all African Diaspora. The hand has five fingers and they all must be strong, work in coordination, to build a stronger Diaspora.

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Henry Garnett said, "If we are to bleed, then lets bleed all at once.

Those who have it to give should give large amounts. In the upper ranges of $250.00 one time. If we can get 10,000 people to give $250 that would be $2.5 Million to complete , His Royal Majesty Oba Adefunmi II's 7 year plan, all in month. So give now! Up you Mighty Nation-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Queen Mother of Africa, Her Royal Highness the Nnabagereka (Queen) of Buganda, Sylvia Nagginda Luswata. Please give $1.00 per household member and show your support for women and children of Africa. As we know women suffer the greatest on the weak political platform of Africa and children die in record numbers. The Queen Mother makes 3/4th of the Africa world, women and children, her first priority. Her example must be followed worldwide, Her Royal Highness the Nnabagereka (Queen) of Buganda, Sylvia Nagginda Luswata, is bringing is the change of Africa. Donate: http://www.nnabagereka.org/en/

Our goal is $1 Billion, raised by all Africans worldwide, all languages and all ethnic groups.



Precious Young Black Girl Yanked From Class For Wearing Natural Hair

Boycott Weave! Black women most beautiful. 

Marian Reed posted this photo of her daughter, wearing the offending hairstyle, on her Facebook page. (Photo: Facebook)

[NOTE: This story has been updated as of May 13 with an apology from the school. Please see below.]

A mom is calling for racial sensitivity training at her daughter’s elementary school after the third-grader was reprimanded for having her natural hair pulled into a line of mini ponytails, or afro puffs, that administrators say violated the grooming code.

“She cried and said no one was going to want to be her friend because her hair was not as pretty as the assistant principal’s,” Marian Reed, of Belton, Texas, told KCEN about her 9-year-old daughter after she was pulled out of gym class and sent home by assistant principal Madonna Lopez. “And as a parent, that’s heartbreaking, because that’s just what God naturally gave her.”

Related: Tracee Ellis Ross Shares Heartfelt Video on Inner Beauty

The girl’s school, Tarver Elementary, has a “dress and grooming” policy that bans hairstyles “that could be interpreted as indecent or disruptive to the educational process,” such as “mohawks” or even “faux-hawks.”

But Reed was unmoved. “It wasn’t in a mohawk,” she said. “It’s not shaved on the side or anything. She was a little girl being 9 years old.” Reed, who is black, added that the school’s actions seemed racist; she noted administrators were fine when her daughter wore the same style in the past — but with a synthetic weave rather than her natural hair.

Related: How Natural Hair Got This Woman Fired

“I don’t believe that it was intended to be racial,” she said. “But I think the district as a whole may need some cultural diversity training.” Reed, who is a competitive bodybuilder and could not be reached by Yahoo Beauty, implied that the school staff could use some sensitivity training too.

“They could have called me and discussed it with me without pulling her out of class and without having that conversation in front of her, because now she’s questioning her natural image,” the mom said. “And at 9 years old, she’s going to remember that for the rest of her life.”

Charla Trejo, the executive director of campus leadership for the Belton Independent School District, tells Yahoo Beauty that the motivation behind sending the girl home was “for consistency purposes,” as other students with similar styles have been reprimanded in the past. While Trejo will not respond directly to charges of racism, she does add, “We are going to review our dress code. It’s that time of the year.”

[UPDATE AS OF MAY 13: “We did it!!!!” Reed told Yahoo Beauty in a private Facebook message. “The administrators involved in this incident…have reviewed the incident and the current dress code for Belton ISD. [On Thursday] I met with them, at which time an apology was issued, as well as an admittance that they did not fully listen to my concern and complaint. Further, they took ownership of the misuse of the current dress code and recognized that it is outdated and not inclusive of all cultures. As a result, the dress code WILL be revised and the code referring to hair will be removed. Also, cultural diversity training…will become a part of  mandatory training. I was even asked to review the remainder of the dress code to identify any other rules that may be culturally insensitive and/or offensive in its language and  application.” Further, she added, “The principal is revamping the way that future violations of code are handled, as to not cause any emotional stress or damage to the child.”]

Reed had originally posted about the situation on her Facebook page after receiving the initial call from Lopez about her daughter’s hair. “Please help me make this go viral!” she wrote, along with a photo (above) of the ’do in question. “I explained to [Lopez] that my daughter’s hair is natural, not shaven, and in six afro puffs because her hair doesn’t lay flat. I explained to her that saying she was out of dress code for wearing a natural hairstyle is discriminatory! Not only that, but while I teach my daughter that her natural beauty is perfect, this assistant principal is giving my daughter the message that her natural beauty is not good enough!”

But comments on the Facebook post were mixed, with some criticizing Reed for flouting the rules. “This is a great way to teach your kid that the rules don’t apply to them and not to pick their battles… This isn’t about the texture of her hair or her race it’s about the style. Put some afro puffs in her hair that don’t sit on top of her head in a straight row and get over it.” Others shared Reed’s point of view. “How can we educate our children if the educators are this ignorant?!” asked one. Another posted, “There is nothing wrong with this child’s hair. But there is something very wrong with a school singling a child out and declaring that something is wrong with how they look.”

Still, the situation is not exactly rare. Stories about kids being told to change their hairstyles pop up regularly — such as those about teens in Georgia and Florida who were singled out for having their hair dyed an “unnatural color,” as well as a girl in the Bahamas who was suspended over her afro puff in February, prompting a #SupportThePuff social media campaign. And in 2014, a 12-year-old private school student in Florida blew up the Internet over reports that she was threatened with expulsion over her naturally “puffy” hair being a “distraction.” The school eventually relented.

(Enter)

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BLACK WOMEN SPEND HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS ON HAIRCARE AND WEAVES! WHY?

By H. Fields Grenee

Straight, wavy, curly, fine, curse – few things generate more passion or anger among African American women than their hair. Some critics note that the emphasis placed on hair is a double-edged sword aimed at ones’ self esteem. Or when quaffed well, i.e. “Good Hair” becomes a passage to acceptance within the dominate cultures’ ideal of beauty.

Then there are those who view hair – commercial or natural – as an accompaniment to an outfit; like a hat or that essential accessory that glams up the whole look. Despite what stance you view the landscape from – hair – African American hair and the cultivation of that “look” via the placement of weave is a multi-billion dollar industry.

Extensions can cost as low as $300 (depending on your geographical area) and go up to $10,000; based on the service – strand by strand extensions or weft (track) that are calculated per weft or a set price for the entire head, says Atlanta-based beautician Toni Love, who has more than 20 years experience styling hair with the addition of weave placement.

Factor in maintenance; better known as touch-ups, required every four to six weeks determined by how fast the recipients’’ natural hair grows – commercial hair placement can range between $4,000 to $80,000 a year – not including transportation, child care or lost productivity incurred by the three to eight hours required to complete the process.

Despite the cost reductions since weaves first gained popularity in the late 70s and early 80’s – when it was primarily used for theatrical purposes, movies, videos and on fashion runways – the expense is difficult to juggle with real incomes. Nevertheless, their hyper-visibility can be seen everywhere from corporate boardrooms to inner-city food desert bodegónes.

Quest for fashion fabulous hair speaks volumes about us

Consider this: $46,326 was the median household income in the United States according to 2010 U.S. Census data and the average income for African American families was $32,584, well below a middle-class lifestyle. Yet we over-spend for the purpose of appearance. Why is this?

”It’s not that I think “natural hair” is now invisible but (weave) has become a way for more people to achieve that “good hair” status if only synthetically,” gleamed Davarian L. Baldwin, Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of American Studies at Trinity College.

“The culture surrounding weaves; such as the links between more traditionally white hair textures and the pricing system of weaves, helps to exacerbate the notion of “good hair” as “non-Black.”

Baldwin continued, “Who really knows if “Indian Remi” (a popular human hair weft texture) is a reflection of actual Indian women’s hair or what “Hollywood Italian” (another texture classification) actually means, but in hair weave stores there is certainly a hierarchy of hairs that is also linked to a hierarchy of racial value.”

But it’s just fashion, right?

The psycho-social ramification of wearing weaves tends not to weigh heavily on the minds of teen-agers who encompass the average age when extensions are first tried. Stacey Clark, a Washington DC professional falls in this category. She first crafted a new look using weave when she was in high school.


“Back then (in the late 80s) I believe everyone tried to pretend (the weave) was theirs,” Clark joked. “Now it’s more of a fashion statement.  Come to work one day with short curly hair, the next day it can be long with blonde streaks.  Changing hair is like changing clothes now.”

But what about when hair placement is more than just a fashion twist? For many African American women, the perception of them as having “Good Hair” is an embedded part of their self esteem. Some can’t and will not be seen without weave despite the cost and the time required to achieve it.

Nikki Walton, a license psychotherapist practicing in North Carolina, routinely counsels women on issues ranging from self-esteem and hair issues to depression and body image.

In fact, since 2000 the number of African American women now suffering from anorexia and bulimia has ballooned. Many say that the increase in these eating disorders among African American and Latino women stems from their buying into the mainstream media image of white beauty – that includes silky long hair and a overly slender silhouette that our fuller shapes cannot naturally accomplish.

“We have so many deep rooted issues that we need to overcome in our community to finally make ourselves whole. It’s a shame where we chose to concentrate our efforts,” said Walton, who has chosen to go natural with her hair and councils women on how to do the same.

“In the natural hair community many of my clients tend to go natural because it is a healthier choice for them,” she said. “The vast majority are unfamiliar with their hair’s real texture, because they’ve had perms since they were five or eight.”

Some of the hair drama that she councils about stems from an internalized bias toward their natural hair, she said, so she believe they have to give themselves time to reconnect with their real beauty.

“Just go out and get comfortable with your hair,” she says. “Just embrace the anxiety and insecurity because sometimes you have to fake it until you can make it.”


My Limitless shine and falseness style is divine

African Americans spent $507 billion (out of our total estimated buying power of $836 billion) in 2009 on hair care and personal grooming items, according to an annual report published by Target Market News. This figure is up 16.6% from the $435 billion spent the previous year.

Yet for those who are one with the weave – the price seems worth the sacrifice. And the psycho-social condemnation does not register.

“You should be willing to pay the money to have good hair put in,” Clark stressed. In fact, human hair is all she wears, because it easily fits into her lifestyle. “It has good body, takes heat well, can get wet and just lasts longer then synthetic hair,” she said.

This makes a difference since she visits her stylist twice a month or once a week when she sports a shorter cut – which is what she wears when she wants to convey sassy. Much like Johnny Wright, whose signature phrase: “I always tell people be vain or be forgotten,” channels the deep seeded quests for style.

Wright, stylist to the first lady Michelle Obama, Softsheen-Carson artistic style director and celebrity stylist doesn’t dabble in the controversy surrounding weave – he just creates. To him weave placement is just another avenue to crafting a clients’ look that best fits with her lifestyle.

When he works with weave what remains paramount in his mind is maintaining the overall quality and strength of the clients’ natural hair and scalp. Wright believes you should interview your beautician as if she were your doctor because improper weave placement can lead to baldness. Furthermore, he stressed that children should not be getting weave due to the pressure on the scalp.

“It’s not about how long a period of time (weave is worn). It’s more so if you are not taking care of your natural hair and scalp”, he said.

When the scalp is continuously irritated the hair follicles can break resulting in a form of baldness known as traction alopecia, a condition that causes the hair to break from repeated and severe braiding, weaving, extensions or tight ponytails.


Why you got a problem with my do?

Imagine what could be accomplished in the African American community with even half of the $507 Billion Dollars annually spent on hair care products. Now stop, because such fancy is just a pipe dream and unfortunately the real economic figures do not bode well for the African American community as critiqued by social scholars. For no matter how you try to spin the debate – fashion fabulous hair is connected to our need to be accepted by the dominate culture – as beautiful, as equal – as worthy.

“The deep seated psychological and social conditioning to see white features and light skin as the most desirable, and signature of beauty and acceptance has not diminished,” commented Earl Ofari Hutchinson, author and social commentator.

“If anything as we move further from the black pride and consciousness of the 1960s with an entire new generation, the psychic reconditioning toward a natural style of beauty has gotten further removed.”