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Young Black Girl Kicked Out Of Christian School For Her Hair

Faith Fennidy, a sixth-grade student at Christ the King Elementary School in Gretna, Louisiana outside of New Orleans was kicked out of school for her hairstyle. A video of the aftermath, filmed by her brother, showed her father pleading with school officials while Faith sobs quietly.

“I don’t want this to happen” a school official can be heard saying not he video. “Yes you do,” her father replies. “What’s wrong with her hair?” a woman asks. Faith, her hair in a ponytail, then tearfully leaves the school.

Christ the King is a Catholic school and the Archdiocese says her hair violated the school’s policy that all students have natural hair and Faith Fennidy was wearing extensions.

In a Facebook post, Steven Fennidy said his sister has gone to the school for two years while wearing extensions, but the school changed their policy over the summer to ban any artificial hair extensions or weaves.

“I hate that I have to post this. But this just isn’t right. This is an issue we tried to resolve with the school, but they won’t compromise at all. My sister Faith and many little black girls wear extensions. She’s been attending this school for two years and wearing extensions. Over the summer the school has sneakily added in a policy, that no extensions, clip-ins or weaves are allowed. Faith got a notice on the first day of class and it’s ridiculous that these schools that we are PAYING for, will go in and make policies without consulting or trying to figure out how this will affect your life or your child’s life. Extensions make the hair easier to maintain. It allows my sister to have access to the swimming pool without having to get her hair Re-done every night. How do you make a policy without even having a discussion. It’s because you don’t care and it’s just one more barrier to entry for black people. This decision is going to affect black children more than white children.”

This is the second time in recent weeks a black child at a Christian school was denied entry because of their hair. A young boy in Florida was sent home for having dreadlocks, which was captured on a video that soon went viral.

Fennidy’s video has gone viral as well, after being Tweeted out by activist Shaun King, and people are calling out the school’s racist policy:

As Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos continues her push for “school choice,” it’s worth pointing out that for many African-American students, private schools aren’t a choice at all.

h/t: New Orleans Times-Picayune




Aimée Lutkin