Sydney based artist JamarzOnMarz — real name James Emmanuel— is calling on the NSW Minister of Education, Sarah Mitchell, to make uniform policies that discriminate against students’ natural Afro hair illegal.
Earlier this month, Emmanuel published a personal piece on Huffpost, exposing Australian private schools for imposing “uniform policies that make it hard to be Black,” and calling for a reform to have the draconian guidelines abolished.
JamarzOnMarz has started a change.org petition, demanding a change in policies. The petition was only started over the weekend but has already amassed over 1,000 signatures — including backing from music-industry peers Jen Boyce (of Ball Park Music), Tuka (of Thundamentals), Cry Club, Alphamama and Temgazi.
The Huffpost piece saw the artist recall an incident where he was forced to remove twist-braids following a family trip to Nairobi Kenya. The artist explained that the disciplinary figures at his school labelled the “extreme hairstyle” unacceptable.
“In my eyes, the braids complied with the uniform rulebook,” writes Emmanuel. “They were above the collar, above the ears, neat, short and sensible. I felt defeated and now insulted, realising my cultural identity (my Afro in its natural state and its corresponding protective styles) could not be embraced without being outlawed as ‘extreme.'”
Emmanuel highlights that the language used to describe his natural textured hair —“inappropriate”, “extreme”, “unorthodox”— is indebted in microaggressive racism.
“Whether my Afro is out or in a protective style of braids or cornrows, twists, buns or dreadlocks, it is a direct link to my heritage. My hair is my culture, and ultimately my identity,” he wrote.
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The musician cites a recent case of Cook Island student Cyrus Taniela, who was threatened with expulsion from his private school for his long hair, incited the realisation that he was forced to shave his head “to the requested number 1 or 2”, to meet “subjective white standards of presentability”.
This realisation led to Emmanuel realising the glaring inequality between students of African diaspora, and their non-black peers.
“Theres level[s] of self-expression Black students were, and still are denied,” he shares.
“I want NSW’s Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 amended to expressly protect Black students from inequitable uniform policies and grooming codes, that hinder their culture and identity. This would mean, the requested cutting of Afro-textured hair in certain circumstances, and the banning of protective styles (like braids, cornrows, plaits) would constitute a discrimination on the grounds of race. Pursuant to s 7 & s 17 of the ADA”
Emmanuel is yet to receive a response from Minister of Education, Sarah Mitchell. In the meantime, he is calling on those who have experienced similar discriminations to reach out and let their story be heard. You can contact James at [email protected].
We strongly encourage you to sign the change.org petition.
