American singer Solange Knowles is by far one lady who truly believes in being natural. We have all seen how much she embraces her hair and mostly wears it in an elaborate afro. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise that she has joined hands or better yet added her voice to the thousands of messages of support for the girls at the Pretoria Girls High school.
She commended Zulaikha Patel, 13-year-old student who has largely become the face of the movement, labelling her as “rad,” before urging her to continue with her “bad self”.
Black students at Pretoria High School for Girls in Pretoria, South Africa, were told to chemically straighten their hair.
The school came under the spotlight the past weekend after students claimed that black pupils were being told to straighten their hair.
Students with afro hairstyles and braids gathered to protest the longstanding rule.
The students’ outcry has been heard by local politicians, and education officials are looking into the students’ concerns. The rules have now been suspended according to the BBC and the school says it will work with the authorities to address the issues raised by the girls.
The students’ protests spread across social media like wild fire, making the #StopRacismAtPretoriaGirlsHigh hashtag one of the most discussed trends on Twitter for a period of time. Well, Solange added her voice to the cause, sending a special shout out to one of the students.
The section of the Pretoria Girls High School code of conduct that deals with hair has since been suspended with immediate effect, by Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi.
