Photo taken from Governor JB Pritzker’s Facebook page
A new state law aims to prevent hair discrimination in schools.
The measure was inspired by Jett Hawkins, a Chicago preschooler who got in trouble because his braids violated the school dress code.
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton says that shouldn’t happen.
Stratton says, “For generations, hairstyles and textures were used to shame and belittle, to discipline and degrade, and it’s really unbelievable to me that, in 2021, we are still fighting policies in our schools that harm, shame, and discriminate against children, in particular black children, because of how they wear their hair.”
The law prohibits schools from restricting hairstyles that have been historically associated with race and ethnicity. It takes effect January 1st.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Mike Simmons of Chicago, says he would like to pass similar legislation that applies to hairstyles in the workplace.
