Cornrows and the gangster stereotype

The case of the young boy being banned from school because his cornrows are somehow indicative of anti-social gang affiliation expose some some stark issues For one, irrespective of a long established multi-cultural society there are academic leaders who cannot differentiate between an age old neat presentation of hair and a contemporary MTV stereotype Secondly, the knee jerk reactions of  powerful officials who have a laughable yet disturbing lack of exposure to African culture can arbitrarily become non-negotiable statutes Moreover, there have been issues in the USA wherein a celebrity dj announced that black women who didn’t straighten their hair to go to the office were being disrespectful, and President Obama’s 11 year old daughter was referred to as a ghetto whore because she was at an event with her hair untreated The message is frighteningly clear: assimilation or marginalisation