An 8-year-old boy named Farouk James could be deprived from quality education due to the strict school regulations which won’t allow him to attend classes unless he has his hair cut.
The strict school regulations, many of which are found ridiculous both by children and parents, sometimes limit the students’ needs to stand out from the crowd and be unique. At times, these regulations kill the youngsters’ creativity and force them to fit inside the box and not think outside of it.
The young Londoner in question, James, received plenty of offers from modeling agencies to be a child model because of his cuteness and his impressive mane. Following photo sessions in New York and Italy, James is now making a living as a kid model.
Sadly, his long hair is the reason why this young boy was rejected from several colleges.
His mother, Bonnie Miller, explained that since the boy’s grandfather is Ghanaian, they waited for three years before they were to have James’ hair cut, as per tradition. But then, the boy got attached to his hair.
“At that point he was attached — and so was I, to be honest — with his beautiful hair,” Bonnie told CBS News. “We just kept the hair.”
Bonnie believes that the UK schools, which allow girls to have long hair but prohibit boys from having one, violate children’s human rights.
“I will not give up trying to persuade governments to put legislation in place to protect children from these outdated, punishing rules,” Bonnie wrote on Instagram.
“Farouk hasn’t done anything wrong, and YOU REJECT HIM! He will say good bye to his friends as they all get accepted into the schools he so desperately wants to attend.”
She even started a petition on Change.org to outlaw hair prejudice in the United Kingdom.
“We’re getting a real team together and calling it the Mane Generation,” Bonnie said. “We’re going to fight this until these rules get changed. And it’s globally, not just domestically in the U.K.”
James’ Instagram account, which his mom manages, is followed by a quarter of a million people.
However, not all of his followers agree with Bonnie. On the contrary, they sometimes receive hateful comments.
After an appearance on the U.K.’s This Morning on which Bonnie spoke of the family’s struggles to find a suitable school for her son, they started receiving mail with hurtful comments.
“This week is mental health week, so I’m surprised to be receiving lots of negative comments about Farouk’s hair,” Bonnie wrote in May last year.
“Farouk’s hair is a God given part of him and he will not be cutting it to appease anyone, just as he does not keep it long at my request either.”
Further, she says that a number of schools forbid the students from wearing locks and dreadlocks because they are considered racist.
She says that her son’s hair is part of who he is and that many of the schools’ regulations need to be outlawed.
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