By Grace Gaffey and Daisy Kennedy (Upper Sixth)

The African and Caribbean (ACS) society have kickstarted the new academic year by marking an important day, World Afro Day.

World Afro Day takes place on the 15th September as a day for change, education, and most importantly, celebration of Afro hair. There is one aim: to end hair discrimination in schools globally.

On 15^th of September 2016, an American federal court ruled that it was legal to ban dreadlocks in the workplace. This is why World Afro Day takes place on this day as a way to change negative attitudes towards Afro hair into positive inclusion. Hair in the African and Caribbean communities hold an immense amount of importance, there is a wide variation of hairstyles, all intricate and unique in design, which hold profound meanings about a person’s cultural identity. Hair can provide an important connection to a person’s heritage.

In 2019, World Afro Day released their Hair Equality report, revealing that 1 in 6 African-Caribbean school children have had a bad or very bad experience with their Afro textured hair and identity at school. Additionally, 41% of students surveyed with Afro hair had a desire to have straight hair, highlighting the negative impact euro-centric beauty standards have had on the way black students view their hair, and subsequently their beauty. World Afro Day’s goal is to educate everyone on Afro hair, to prevent hurtful or ignorant comments which could decrease a student’s self-confidence, but to also empower students with Afro hair.

At BGS, we endeavour to create a safe, inclusive environment, where girls can feel proud of who they are. Last year the African and Caribbean Society held a meeting open to all senior school students where we discussed the cultural importance of different Afro hairstyles, and invited girls to share their own experiences with their hair. On World Afro Day, the ACS held a whole school assembly to raise awareness about this day within the BGS community and to educate and empower all students to feel that they can express their culture safely within the school environment, and be celebrated for it.