Unknown Speaker 0:11 I saw my natural hair for the first time on the 11th of May this year, natural to me that there was no relaxer in it to tame it, or chemicals of any kind to less than the fro. It was just my own natural nappy black hair. Black woman's hair has for years, a topic of discussion, it is seen as untidy and unruly. And for many black girls wearing international hair is always a struggle. I'm receiving daily microaggressions like people touching me with that consent, or being told point blank to straighten your hair you won't get hired. Black woman's hair has always seen as a problem. Time and time again, young black girls are being pulled out of school for their appearance, the way they're dressed and the way their hair looks. Yes, the policing of feminine bodies is present. But it seems to affect black woman at a faster and more persistent rate. For kinky swim, the policing of black woman's bodies, specifically their hair, something she's experienced time and time again in her life. Unknown Speaker 1:06 I live in Ottawa and I've experienced as a black woman that experience like a lot of violence, especially because of my hair before I used to straighten it because of self hate not because of preference, but because I wanted to fit in. And I thought that would protect me from being a black girl. And I was just tired of being got that and hold that and like teachers would make remarks and like when I want to get my hair done like just say like how unprofessional and just just throw like terrible shade in them. I recently just graduate from high school and I was told that like, I have to conceal it. And then I'd have to like wear my cap and gown right for graduation. And I just wasn't about it. Like she was telling me like how like just the woman at the office she was just totally like degrading my hair. She told me like it was it was all curly is like all like shrinkage, right? And she's like, it's not gonna fit, I could order an extra large but like you got to deal with it. So then what I did instead is I picked my hair out completely and I just walked on that stage proud as hell like I did not wear the hat. And I'm like cable, you know, fucking Unknown Speaker 2:03 here in Toronto, a blood Grade A student was sent home last month for wearing our hair and natural style, deem to poofy and unprofessional. Protesters alongside Black Lives Matter Toronto coalition members gathered outside the tdsb headquarters to voice their frustrations regarding this issue and the treatment of this young black girl. Unknown Speaker 2:22 It is not enough to care about us after we've passed when we are here alive and well telling you that our standards of living are not good enough. We are not being treated well enough. There's injustice within our education systems within our classrooms within our trade schools within the policies they used to drag us if it is not enough, it is not good enough and there needs to be more done. Unknown Speaker 2:45 Tania Turton, a hairdresser who was present at this gathering have this to say, Unknown Speaker 2:50 I actually went to him during middle school. I'm a graduate. And I'm not surprised. To be honest, I'm not surprised that this happened based on my experiences there. And for me, it's very much impacting our mental health and our psyche, when we're told that how we are how we naturally are is not good enough is not is not presentable. The whole idea of it is so absurd. It just blows my mind. But those little black girls become the black women who sit in my chair and apologize for their existence and apologize for who they are. So I definitely can see how it impacts our mental health, particularly as a black woman, but also as a stylist. I know, I've heard so many stories, and I know so much of what it's like to be told more professional. Actually, just recently, this weekend, one of my clients came to me saying that she tried a home texturizer and broke off all her hair. And I was like, Okay, why? And she's like, someone at work told me that she didn't look professional. And she had this big meeting to go to and she just wanted to fix the problem. And this idea that we need to fix ourselves, but that breaks my heart. But I'm honored to be able to, to be the other voice to let us know that we're beautiful as we are and that nothing about our humanity is unprofessional. Unknown Speaker 4:11 Also present at this gathering was the end of the young girl we've been asked to leave school because of her natural hair. Unknown Speaker 4:17 I'm extremely emotional. So when I heard about it, I was bawling. Like I was crying. My heart was breaking because I know that this is not just a one day thing where she gets pulled into the office and you know, it'll go away. This is something that's going to live with her for the rest of her life. Probably she's going to look back and say oh, I was not pretty enough. I was not my hair was not good enough. At that point in time and not. I'm trying not to have her carry that on with her. So I'm checking in with her but it was definitely when I found out I was definitely heartbroken for what emotional damage this could cause to me. I mean, I mean, I know what it says it says that she's not good enough. She doesn't look like she's supposed to look she's not supposed to. She's not, she doesn't look like the standard that's imposed onto her. She hasn't percent present herself in a way that's acceptable. And the whole theme of acceptance, where she would be outside of that is is what she will have to kind of deal with the fact that she may not be accepted because of the way she looks. Unknown Speaker 5:22 I asked her what this action meant, on the part of the tdsb. And this is what she had to say. Unknown Speaker 5:28 I think that we need to do our utmost best to protect little black girls because I feel like they are the most vulnerable. Like, I mean, this stuff happening, continuously breaks my heart, the fact that this happened at a school where she is supposed to feel safe, breaks my heart. So the fact that this has happened, it scares me a little bit. It's terrifying because of what happened to my niece, and she spoke about it how many people didn't happen to that they didn't speak about it. Unknown Speaker 5:59 And to the woman who told her niece to leave school because of her hair, she has this to Unknown Speaker 6:03 say sensitivity. I mean, that woman needs to be aware of the fact that her words were poisonous, her words were harmful. And she needs to realize how they were harmful and why they are harmful. And then look at herself and find out why she does not love herself because she was once a little black girl. So I mean, I don't want I don't want for the principal to be fired because she's still going to think what she thinks and impose those thoughts about around any little blonde girl that she feels she can I want her to kind of self reflect and think about why her words were wrong and what she can do to better herself as a person in the rest of her life. And for the black girls Unknown Speaker 6:47 who've ever felt unworthy. Here's a PSA. Unknown Speaker 6:50 Little Black Girls, you are magic. You are beautiful. You are wonderful. And you're going to grow up to be a beautiful, wonderful, magical, young black woman. And then you're going to grow up to be beautiful, magical, wonderful. old black women like you are amazing and never forget that because everywhere everyone in the world is going to tell you that you're not you're going to deal with the fact that people are gonna say, No, we don't want you here or you're this for a black girl. You're not for a black girl and you need to remember that you are beautiful no matter what anyone says. Just remember that Unknown Speaker 7:21 Fuck you. My hair. Unknown Speaker 7:24 You can have natural hair, and be professional, beautiful Unknown Speaker 7:43 Mako magic. Transcribed by https://otter.ai