Livid Mom
When the principal of her daughter’s school let slip the real reason why they refused to let her graduate, her mouth fell open in utter disbelief. After a few seconds of listening to them blatantly discriminate against her daughter, she decided that enough was enough.
This, after all her daughter had been through… her eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists. If they wanted a fight, she’d give them one.
Kieana Hooper
Kieana Hooper, who was an active campaigner against all discrimination, thought that she’d seen and heard it all.
But when her daughter’s principal had called her to inform her that they’d banned K.J. from her own senior graduation ceremony, the livid mom couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She knew exactly what was happening. Did they think she was stupid?
Banned
Kieana’s daughter Kienjanae, or “K.J.,” as she was affectionately called by her friends and family, was mortified that she had been singled out. Although her situation was by no means unique, it didn’t make it any less embarrassing for the teenager.
When she’d decided on the look that had gotten her barred from her graduation ceremony, she hadn’t seen anything wrong with it. So, what was all the fuss about?
A Rough Year
K.J., a student and National Honor Society member at Gladewater High School, had already had a rough 2020. In March, her school was abruptly closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic that was sweeping across America.
Even senior prom had been canceled. But she was about to be dealt another blow that she’d never see coming…
Working Hard
18-year-old K.J. hated being isolated from her friends and she hated being cooped up at home. But at least she still had her job at a local carwash to keep her sane. Instead of focusing on the negatives, she decided to work toward something.
And, after weeks of grueling 8-hour shifts spent detailing cars at the carwash, she had saved enough money to treat herself to something special.
Treating Herself
K.J. had envisioned a special hairstyle for her upcoming senior photoshoot and graduation ceremony: long, flowing, burgundy braids. It had taken a stylist friend over 10 hours to complete K.J.’s new look, but the teenager couldn’t have been happier with the result.
Admiring her new waist-length hair, she couldn’t wait to show it off at her graduation ceremony. She never envisioned that what would follow would outrage members of the BLM movement all over the world.
A Puzzling Phone Call
Four days before K.J.’s graduation, her mom got a phone call from Cathy Bedair, the principal of the school. But when she told her that her daughter wouldn’t be allowed to participate in her own senior graduation ceremony, Kieana was puzzled.
What had she done? She’d maintained straight A’s throughout high school and was an exemplary student! But when the principal told her why, she saw red.
Not A Violation Of The Dress Code
Although schools differ in their dress code policies, K.J.’s school didn’t insist on a uniform or a particular hairstyle. All they asked was that “hair shall be cleaned, trimmed from eyes and well-groomed” and “hair coloring shall resemble a natural color.”
But K.J.’s red braids complied with all the rules… so why was she being singled out?
Argument
Kieana began to protest, but the principal was hearing none of it. She rudely cut her off, saying that K.J. would “have to take the braids down” in order to walk on stage and graduate.
But that couldn’t be right? K.J. had worn braids throughout the entire school year! Why were they only bringing this up now?
Insistent
“No ma’am,” Kieana retorted 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.”
Even though she was clearly in the wrong, the principal was insistent. So, she simply decided to make up another excuse as to why K.J. couldn’t attend graduation.
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 the BLM protesters she knew personally, they 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?