(ThyBlackMan.com) Urban students not just in America, but around the world are being systematically criminalized for being to fully embrace their ancestry and culture. And among those attacks, are these public school dress codes that are created by the white bourgeoisie that’s basically designed to specifically target and criminalize urban students.
Over the past few years, I have seen the stories of urban students that have been punished for violating this “dress code” and that are fighting back against these modern day Anti-Black policies aka public school dress code. Here are some examples:
Last year at a high school in a predominant urban area in Florida, a 17 year old urban female senior was forced by a school administrator with a police officer by her side to remove her head wrap because it was in violation of the “dress code” and the young urban female 
student felt personally humiliated by the request and she made a call to an African women’s organization and the urban female president told her to put the headwrap back on.
The next day, another urban female student also came to school wearing her headwrap to show support to her fellow sister. And those same administrator and police officer attempted to harass the two students until they say both urban female students wearing them together.
And then other urban students banded together in unity and support by wearing daishikis and head wraps to school everyday until the dress codes were overturned.
Also last year, a high school in an predominant urban area in Kentucky had made changes to their school dress code policy after urban female students had legitimate reason to voice their utter disgust over two pieces of paper that clearly perpetuates very discriminative guidelines under their dress code which states:
“The policy says that students can’t have their hair in cornrows, braids, twists, and locks. It also says students cannot wear braids, and that cutout designs are forbidden. The new policy also has rules for male students. Under the policy, they cannot have hair beyond their shoulders, and it cannot go below their eyebrows. They are also forbidden to have highlights or colored hair not qualified as a “natural hair color.” Additionally, students cannot have hair colors that are two-toned, or sharply contrasting”
Here’s my take on the public school dress code issue: I have a long history with having very personal issues with the public school dress code dating back from my mid-teen years when I remember getting a letter one month before the start of the school year from The Montgomery Public School System which has always historically been anti-black, which says that “starting this upcoming school year, students in some schools across the city will resort to wearing uniforms” and when I read that letter, I remember being very angry and frustrated at the new dress code implementation of uniforms.
But I didn’t realize the racial undertones of the public school dress code until many years after I got out of public school. When I took a much deeper look at these dress code regulations, I notice certain rules within the dress code that I personally thought were specifically made to systemically criminalize urban kids because the colonial education system in America constantly manipulates the dress code each year so that it’ll continue to systemically target and criminalize urban kids.
Here are some of the “dress code” rules that are blatantly used to systemically target and criminalize urban kids.
1. Urban students can’t have their hair in cornrows, braids, twists, and locks.
2. Urban students cannot wear braids, and that cutout designs are forbidden.
3. Urban male students cannot have hair beyond their shoulders, and it cannot go below their eyebrows.
4. Urban male students are forbidden to have highlights or colored hair not qualified as a “natural hair color.” Additionally, students cannot have hair colors that are two-toned, or sharply contrasting.
5. Bare mid-riff, see-through or low-cut blouses/shirts are considered a violation.
6. Hats, caps, headbands, sweat bands, bandanas, visors, and sunglasses must be removed and placed in the locker or designated area and remain there during the school day (except for health and/or religious reasons, which must be approved in advance by the administration).
7. Jewelry which includes long necklaces, accessories with spikes or chains, heavy medallions, removable dental grills, heavy bracelets, and large finger rings, will not be allowed.
8. Urban Students are to wear clothing that fits properly. Pants must be worn at the waist (no sagging).
9. Clothing must be clean with no open holes above the knee. No shredded clothing will be allowed.
10. Oversized or undersized clothing, including skirts, blouses, dresses, pants, or shirts is prohibited.
The Conclusion – We must take control over what our kids should wear so they could culturally embrace and express themselves in a very unapologetic way and not be dictated by a very corrupt and oppressive public school system.
Staff Writer; Kwame Shakir (aka Joe D.)
