School Will Not Let Teen Graduate, Saying Her Hair is The Reason..
When she heard why the principal refused to let her daughter graduate, she was stunned. She thought enough was enough after seeing them openly prejudice against her daughter.
She couldn't believe that they would treat her daughter like that because of what she went through. She could feel her jaw clenching. She was not going to stand for this type of behavior.
Activist
Kieana Hooper was an activist fighting against all discrimination. She had been doing this a long time and thought that she had seen it all.
But when the school so nonchalantly informed her that her daughter was prohibited from attending her senior graduation, she was furious. The school gave her some silly reason but she knew what they were really doing, she was not born yesterday.
What Was Wrong?
Kienjanae, or K.J. as her friends and family called her was Kieana's daughter. She felt so embarrassed by the school's decision. Her situation was not special in any sense, as it happens quite frequently, but K.J. couldn't help but feel awkward about it.
She hadn't seen anything wrong with the look that had gotten her disqualified from her graduation ceremony when she chose it. So, what exactly was the big deal?
Good Student
K.J. was a smart and talented student at Gladewater High School, and she was also on the honor roll. 2020 was a difficult year for her, due to her school closing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She was heartbroken when she found out that senior prom was canceled, but that was nothing compared to what was coming...
Distractions
It was frustrating for K.J. to be isolated from the world and her friends, and she felt so restless at home. Thankfully, she could still go to her job at a nearby carwash to help her deal with all the craziness that was happening.
K.J. wanted to do something nice for herself. She spent weeks working 8-hour long shifts so that she could save up some money. Finally, she had enough money to do something special.
Beautiful Braids
K.J. truly wanted beautiful burgundy braids for her senior photoshoot as well as her graduation ceremony. She had to sit for over 10 hours to achieve this look but when it was all done, K.J. knew that it was worth it.
She was in love with her new hair and she wanted to show it to the world! She had no idea what would happen next would infuriate members of the BLM movement all across the world.
Enraged
Just days before her graduation ceremony, the principal informed K.J.'s mother that she was not allowed to attend the ceremony. Kieana was very confused.
Her daughter was a straight A student with a clean record. She couldn't think of any reason as to why K.J. would be in trouble! However, when the principal explained why, she became enraged.
Not Breaking The Rules
Various schools have rules and regulations regarding dress code, but the school her daughter went to did not have anything of that sort.
The school merely wanted students to have clean hair that was not hanging over their eyes, and it should be well-groomed. The school also stated that if a student wanted to dye their hair, it should resemble natural colors. K.J.'s burgundy braids, on the other hand, followed all the rules… So, why was she the one who was singled out?
Something Is Not Right
Kieana tried to fight for her daughter, but the principal had already made up her mind. She told Kieana that if K.J. wanted to partake in the graduation ceremony, she needed to "take the braids down."
Something wasn't right, K.J. had been wearing braids the whole school year, why was it an issue now?
The Answer Is No
“No ma’am,” Kieana said angrily, “there is no reason that she should have to hide or take her hair down when she’s worn her hair in braids throughout the school year.”
She could not believe the audacity of the principal. The principal stood her ground and refused to let K.J. go to her graduation. She decided to make up some other arbitrary reason why her daughter was not allowed to go.
Surely Not?
“K.J.’s hair is an unnatural color,” the principal snapped. But Kieana knew that wasn’t right either. Not satisfied with the principal’s answer, Kieana insisted that they tell her the real reason why her daughter was being singled out.
She had a suspicion, but in this day and age, she didn’t think that it couldn’t possibly be true. When Kieana told her story to BLM protesters, people were outraged.
A “Distraction”
“She’s saying my hair is a distraction. But from what?” K.J. said in an interview. “Really, the whole thing is really dumb to me, to be honest.
Why does it matter about my hair that I can’t walk across the stage? I’m not going to say, ‘oh, she’s racist,’ but people have been calling her racist. Even before this whole hair thing people were saying that.
During It All
Not only was America dealing with the pandemic that year, but there were also waves of protests over racism and police brutality.
You’d think that a simple graduation ceremony would be just a formality for the high school students at Gladwell High. But now, they were pulling a stunt like this. Did the school want the negative attention?
A Top Student
What made the whole situation even more ludicrous was the fact that K.J. was a top student at Gladewater High. She hoped to graduate and then go on to help people by studying to be a nurse.
Not only was she awarded for her academic achievements by the National Honor Society, but she also received several scholarships. Surely the school had no reason to deny her entrance to her own graduation?
Hopes And Dreams Jeopardized
After the school informed K.J. that she wouldn’t be allowed to graduate unless she took her braids out, she worried about her dreams of becoming a nurse.
It seemed as if everything she had worked so hard for was in jeopardy, and for what? Just because she had changed her hair! It was outrageous. Should she suck it up and just comply?
Lawyering Up
“You’re basing a graduation and diploma on hair. Which is totally ridiculous with what’s going on in this world,” K.J.’s mother said. When she saw that the principal wasn't going to budge, she decided to hire a lawyer to fight them.
The lawyer was also shocked at the principal’s behavior and tried to get the school to see some sense. But suddenly, the principal changed her tune.
Changing Her Tune
The principal, who had also hired a lawyer, claimed that everything K.J. and her mother said was untrue.
The principal’s lawyer said that the principal had made no such demands that K.J. “take her braids down,” but rather, the issue lay in the fact that the braids were dyed a deep burgundy color. Kieana took great exception to this.
Lying
Kieana and K.J. insisted that that’s not what the principal had said. She was obviously changing her story and trying to cover herself.
Anyway, K.J. could still not understand why the school had such an issue with her hair color in the first place - especially when she was a top student. Surely they’d be proud to see her graduate?
Compromise
After all the stress she had caused, the principal quickly backtracked and made a pathetic attempt at a compromise.
She said that K.J. could graduate at the ceremony on one condition: that she covered up her hair with a cap. But Kieana wasn’t prepared to accept that for her daughter either.
Not Good Enough
Kieana was incensed. Why should K.J. cover her beautiful hair up with a cap?
Her braids formed a part of her heritage and identity, and now the principal was making up new rules about what she could and couldn’t have right on the spot. Kieana wouldn’t budge on the issue. Something had to give.
Graduation Day
With nothing more said about whether K.J. could graduate, the day finally arrived. K.J. and her mother arrived at the school, and K.J. wore her red braids proudly and made sure they were on full display.
Would they try to stop her now that she was here? Kieana hoped they tried. The fierce mom wasn’t going to stand for any of it.
Winning The Fight
Despite not wearing a cap or taking her braids out, nobody dared to try and stop K.J. from graduating that day. The school had crossed a line, and they wouldn’t dare try to enforce it.
It was absurd that the principal would be so petty about something as minor as the hairstyle of one of their top students - surely they had more important things to worry about?
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