BERA Bites 15

EDUCATING FOR ALL

Reclaiming our roots in higher education: A call for policy development to address hair- based discrimination in UK educational institutions

MYRTLE EMMANUEL UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH

The journey of Black hair is deeply intertwined with cultural identity, political resistance and social justice. 1 Hair-based discrimination is not simply a question of access or participation. It raises fundamental questions about whose bodies, histories and cultural identities are legitimised within educational spaces, and therefore speaks directly to issues of power, representation and strong inclusion. As we reflect on centuries of colonialism and Eurocentric beauty standards shaping perceptions of Black hair, a powerful movement of reclamation continues to emerge. This personal and collective journey deserves both celebration and sustained scholarly attention. Research highlights how appearance-based discrimination affects academic outcomes. Black and mixed-race students often face disciplinary actions and exclusions due to their natural hairstyles (Henry, 2021), while staff feel pressured to alter their hair to advance in academia (Doharty, 2020). These experiences create barriers to learning and undermine a sense of belonging in educational spaces. As a result, students and staff believe that modifying their natural hair is essential for academic and professional success (Griffiths & Houghton, 2021). My relationship with Black hair reflects many shared experiences. For decades, I conformed to societal 1 Original blog post, published 25 April 2025: https://www. bera.ac.uk/blog/reclaiming-our-roots-in-higher-education- a-call-for-policy-development-to-address-hair-based- discrimination-in-uk-educational-institutions

pressures, using chemical treatments from my teens into my late 40s to meet ‘acceptable’ standards. The phrase ‘good hair,’ rooted in racist beauty norms favouring European textures (Griffiths & Houghton, 2021), shaped my self-image. Wearing my natural hair in tight coils rather than straight or loose curls led to microaggressions in education, from awkward silences to explicit criticism. This echoes Joseph-Salisbury and Connelly’s (2018) view: ‘If your hair is relaxed, white people are relaxed. If your hair is nappy, they’re not happy.’ ‘Students and staff believe that modifying their natural hair is essential for academic and professional success.’ As an educator, I have observed students facing challenges in expressing their identities while adhering to academic expectations. Research shows that hair discrimination in education: • reinforces Eurocentrism, lowering expectations and increasing disciplinary measures, creating self- fulfilling prophecies (Joseph-Salisbury & Connelly, 2018) • disrupts education, contributing to exclusions that hinder academic progress (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2022)

BERA BITES 15 | EDUCATING FOR ALL