From an episode of Read the Room∙Presented by Osman Faruqi and Madeline Hayman-Reber
Interview
Read the Room: The campaign against afro hair discrimination in Australian schools
"Attitudes of afro hair being considered unkempt come from primitive stereotypes placed onto black and brown bodies." - Ti'a Pynor-Greedy
"Listen to our experiences so we can tell you what has happened to us and how that made us feel." - JamarzOnMarz
Musician JamarzOnMarz, real name James Emmanuel, spent his school years being told that his afro-textured hair and protective hairstyles violated his school's uniform policy. This lead him to question the European standards of beauty and professionalism he was forced to adhere to. Under the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 - SECT 17 Education, private school uniforms are unregulated - meaning students of African descent are not explicitly protected, allowing racism to exist under the disguise of grooming codes and white professionalism. Jamarz has now started a petition, calling on Australia's education ministers to make it illegal for school uniform policies to discriminate against student and thier natural afro hair.
JamarzOnMarz and Wiradjuri and Papua New Guinean woman Ti'a Pynor-Greedy join Read The Room's Osman Faruqi and Madeline Hayman-Reber to discuss the importance of normalising afro-textured hair.
