In this week of systemic racism I will be talking about how businesses, religions, and sporting events are racist against specific African American hairstyles, specifically dread locks. The instance I will be talking about specifically is the Andrew Johnson high school wrestling incident. Andrew Johnson was forced to cut his dread locks in the middle of a wrestling match
because of a Caucasian referee enforcing a rule that states hair can not be to0
because of a Caucasian referee enforcing a rule that states hair can not be to0
long to wrestle and can not interfere with certain wrestling moves.
This rule and referee are both forms of racism. Dread locks are apart of who Andrew Johnson was before he had to cut them to continue participating in the sport he grew up playing and loves. He had spent years growing his hair, it was part of his culture, his identity, and who he was as a person. Yet, a racist rule and a racist referee made Andrew Johnson feel very embarrassed, and caused him to lose part of who he was as a person. These rules need to end as they are part of systemic racism.
As a society we much understand that African American hairstyles are a part of their society, culture, and identity, and we must not make unfair and racist rules and laws that are prejudice towards African American hairstyles, just like we don’t have laws against white hairstyles. Jobs have also been prejudice and racist against hiring African Americans with dreads as they view them as low class and this needs to end as well. As a society we must work to accept and appreciate African American hairstyles and end systemic and all racism against them.
Hairstyles from any person, of any color, of any representation should be embraced and accepted. Hair is a way to express ourselves and no types of racism or oppression should be against hair. No jobs or positions should be not hiring or firing a person based on their hair style. Hair styles of all people from all backgrounds need to be accepted. We have come too far as a society to still be judging and oppressing people based off how we express ourselves with our hair. Hair is an expression of our identity and systemic injustice against all hair styles must end.
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-untold-story-of-wrestler-andrew-johnsons-dreadlocks/