Alongside Skin Color: Fight For Black Hair Toughens

Skin color has long been a subject of numerous racist remarks as well as the strong fight against racism. But also known to many, of equal importance is the issue on how people should wear their hair. As of writing, the SA's Pretoria Girls High is making headlines due to black pupils' anti-racism protest that led to the suspension of the school's 'racist hair rules'.

According to BBC, photos of school girls protesting sparked a debate on race after going viral over the weekend. Additionally, there were more than 150,000 tweets using the hashtag #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh was used more than 150,000 times.

Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng Education Minister, held emergency talks with administrators and pupils of the school. During an interview on Talk Radio 702, he criticized the school's hairstyle rules and called them "stone-age rules".

While some don't get what the fuss is all about, black people certainly know what they are fighting for. In an opinion article published in IOL, it was pointed out that black hair alongside black skin and even African language have long been subjects not just of negative comments but also of attack against their identity, pride, culture, heritage, and position in society. Likewise, the fight tackles inferiority, power relations, exploitation, stigmatization, violence, and a lot more issues. Black people know their history very well and they are fighting for their voice and position in society.

These are where the present protests come from. In Pretoria Girls High, students are often told to straighten their hair and Afros are not allowed. An independent investigation currently takes place while the school rules are suspended.

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old girl is currently making headlines as her determination to wear her Afro showed how race still controls school rules and social perceptions on how black South Africans should behave. The young girl has since become the face of this growing movement, Quartz reported.

At present, black people aim to toughen the fight against racism. Their current goal is to make it go beyond social media where it is not limited to using hashtags.