How we wear our hair; Natural hair policing in Jamaica
Jamaica profits immensely from Rastafarianism. It is roots, reggae, culture—and most importantly, tourism. Visitors leave the island with little wooden Rasta figurines, decked out in red, gold, and green turbans, as souvenirs. Many are so fascinated by the lifestyle, so emboldened by its philosophy, that they even begin to emulate it—growing their own dreadlocks as a sign of admiration.
Yet, while tourists leave with their keepsakes and the government cashes in on the allure of Rastafarianism, little Rasta boys and girls are barred from school because of their dreadlocks.
How can an identity be so deeply intertwined with Jamaican culture, one that is globally recognized and profitable—be deemed unacceptable in the country’s own educational institutions?
It is tyrannical that schools get to dictate what constitutes "proper grooming" when their justifications for these rules are flimsy at best. This zero-tolerance policing of Black hair is a modern extension of mental slavery, with school administrators acting as overseers. These racist grooming policies enforce self-hatred, teaching students that to be accepted, they must have the "right kind" of hair. And unsurprisingly, those students most often targeted are not the mixed-race students with looser, more "acceptable" curls, but those with tightly coiled, kinkier textures and darker complexions.
It is disheartening to see institutions that should uplift students instead act as gatekeepers of outdated, Eurocentric beauty standards. With male students especially, the discrimination is even more blatant. Many are sent home for having hair deemed "unkempt," "too long," or simply for wearing dreadlocks at all. These policies push children away from education, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, for whom attending school is already a financial and sometimes even physical struggle to get to school.
Even worse, when schools are called out for these discriminatory practices, they face no consequences. For example, the case where the Jamaican Supreme Court ruled in favour of a school's decision to demand that a 7-year-old girl cut her locs to keep attending classes—because the school claimed it had the "right" to enforce its grooming standards. Some students have even been forced to endure the unnecessary trauma of shaving their heads at school not only to avoid suspension but, in some cases, just to be allowed to sit their exams.
Despite the media tractions these incidents gain, there is no apology—no accountability. Instead, schools pretend as though these students were fairly punished for failing to comply with nonsensical rules. Some institutions have gone so far as to ban dreadlocks altogether.
Meanwhile, the government, when called to action, avoids responsibility by maintaining and reciting vague policies that allow schools to impose their own prejudiced regulations.
Their reasoning? Discipline and hygiene.
But what is truly undisciplined is a system that profits off Rastafarianism while simultaneously oppressing those who live it. What is truly unhygienic is the way these institutions seek to cleanse classrooms of Blackness while cashing in on its cultural currency.
Jamaica cannot fully claim pride in its cultural heritage while forcing its people to erase themselves to succeed.
I have left some videos on this topic below, enjoy!
