Rebroadcast: Bill To Ban Hair Discrimination In Schools
Legislators are considering whether to revise their states' anti-discrimination laws to ban bias in housing, employment and public accommodations based on hairstyles "historically associated with race" such as braids, locs and twists. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Editor's Note: This segment originally aired in May 2021.
Illinois State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) wants to withhold funding from schools that apply dress codes to hairstyles. Simmons says policies that ban certain hairstyles in schools are outdated. He said he thinks schools will want to be on the right side of history if the amendment to SB817 becomes law. We talked with Simmons and the mother of a student who was ordered to take out his braids by at school.
Guests
State Sen. Mike Simmons, (D-Chicago) 7th District
Ida Nelson, mother of son forced to take out braids at school
#SB817, which bans hair discrimination in our schools, passed the Senate last week. We've got to turn the page on this chapter in history. Thanks to @BNCNews for covering this story. pic.twitter.com/9WfMneqcvV
— Mike Simmons (He, his, him) (@MikeSimmonsChi) May 19, 2021
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