Off The Record
Mom Fights For Son, 8, To Keep His Long Hair Despite Schools Rejecting Him
School regulations are something that everyone can relate to, regardless of whether they have fond or bitter recollections of their own time spent there.
Some regulations, like not wearing jewelry during sports, make sense, but it seems wasteful to send someone home for things like wearing too much makeup or bringing in an illegal Coke.
When kids are at an age where they want to stand out and be themselves, the rules and regulations that schools impose on their appearance can be stifling.
One mother and her 8-year-old son felt the rules went too far, and as a result, the youngster might be deprived of a quality education.
Londoner Farouk James’s beautiful mane has attracted the attention of modeling agencies. After doing photo sessions in New York and Italy, he is now making a living as a kid model.
But his appearance has caused him nothing but trouble in class, and several colleges have turned him down solely because of the length of his hair.
Bonnie Miller, James’s mother, has shared that she was told her son’s short hair was a problem at school.
According to Bonnie, Farouk’s dad is Ghanaian; hence, his parents waited to shave his head until he was three.
“At that point he was attached — and so was I, to be honest — with his beautiful hair,” Bonnie told CBS News. “We just kept the hair.”
In the United Kingdom, where the family resides, most schools prohibit guys from sporting long hair even if it is acceptable for girls.
Bonnie argued that it is a violation of children’s human rights to make them get their hair chopped.
“I will not give up trying to persuade governments to put legislation in place to protect children from these outdated, punishing rules,” his mom, Bonnie, wrote on Instagram.
“Farouk hasn’t done anything wrong, and YOU REJECT HIM! He will say good bye to his friends as they all get accepted into the schools he so desperately wants to attend.”
Because of this, Bonnie has even started a petition on Change.org to outlaw hair prejudice in the United Kingdom.
“We’re getting a real team together and calling it the Mane Generation,” Bonnie said. “We’re going to fight this until these rules get changed. And it’s globally, not just domestically in the U.K.”
More than a quarter of a million people follow Farouk’s mom-managed Instagram account, which highlights the boy’s life as a fun-loving child model.
However, they still get hateful feedback despite all the positive remarks they receive.
Bonnie said she got a lot of hate mail after appearing on the U.K.’s ‘This Morning’ to talk about the family’s search for a school that will welcome Farouk and his hair.
“This week is mental health week, so I’m surprised to be receiving lots of negative comments about Farouk’s hair,” Bonnie wrote in May last year.
“Farouk’s hair is a God given part of him and he will not be cutting it to appease anyone, just as he does not keep it long at my request either.”
According to Bonnie, several schools have policies against students wearing dreadlocks or braids because they are considered racist.
The mother vows to keep fighting for Farouk and other kids who face prejudice because they wish to show their ethnic identity through their hair.
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In the year 2022, it is unacceptable for people who are entrusted to teach our children to reject a child because of the child’s hair. Farouk’s hair is a part of who he is. These regulations need to be outlawed.
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