In England, a 14-year-old girl was recently forced to prepare for her home diploma. The reason: Ruby, living near London, sports an Afro haircut, which unfortunately is not unanimous. Slate's website reports this story. By dint of being sent home by the management of her establishment, the adolescent ended up preparing her general certificate of completion of secondary school at home.
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Compensation of 85,000 pounds
Too long, too black, too frizzy, his hair did not match the standards of his establishment attached to the Church of England. His afro cut was not considered suitable for the uniform and, according to his teachers, Ruby even prevented his comrades from seeing the whiteboard correctly ... The school went even further. For the class's year-end album, a photo of her four years old was used, while her hair was smooth.
Ruby's family decided not to be taken in and filed a complaint for racial discrimination. The case was settled out of court, amicably. And Ruby got compensation of 85,000 pounds, equivalent to 10,000 euros. The catch is that in the absence of judgment, the school never had to admit responsibility.
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"Since my father is a Rastafarian, he always maintained that hair was very important, but it was only after facing this situation that I understood what he meant by that," explains the young lady. When the afro cut is not just a story of hair, but a sign of freedom, a political demand.