The folks over at Esquire UK recently decreed 2020 the year of the “shipster,” a terrible personal style portmanteau combining fisherman with hipster.
A Texas teenager is being faced with the difficult decision to either cut off the locs he’s been growing since he was in the seventh grade or be banned from his own high school graduation ceremony.
According to a local NBC affiliate, Deandre Arnold, who lives in the Houston suburb of Mont Belvieu, previously had an agreement with the Barbers Hill independent school district that allowed for his hair to be treated as an exemption to their dress code policy because of its spiritual and cultural significance.
Over the last 10 years the agreement has been upheld with no issue, but unbeknownst to the Arnold family, an amendment was recently made. As a result, upon his return from Christmas break, the 18-year-old was unexpectedly placed on in-school suspension at Barbers Hill High School because his hair was too long. He was also informed he couldn’t walk during graduation until his dreadlocks were cut short enough to meet the district’s revised policy.
This week during the Barbers Hill Independent School District board meeting there is a clear divide about if the actions against the teen are warranted or even reasonable.
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“You are in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as it pertains to religious beliefs,” Gary Monroe, who is with United Urban Alumni Association, informed board members while explaining his opposition to the dress code.
“Let’s stop with the dress code. This not about dress code, this is about policing Black boys,” opined one of the many activists who took the podium during Monday evening’s gathering.
“I won’t stand for anybody bullying my child. He has rights. All he wants to do is graduate,” said David Arnold, who believes the way the school board is treating his son should be considered a form of bullying.
Despite the outcry from the community, the board still opted not to place the topic on the upcoming agendas for further discussion.
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Jonathan Holloway has been named the new president of Rutgers University, making him the first African American to hold the position.
Holloway will start in his new position on July 1 after being approved by the Rutgers Board of Governors. He will be succeeding Robert Barchi who has been at the helm at Rutgers University since September 2012. The hiring of Holloway makes him the 21st president of New Jersey’s flagship university.
The 52-year-old, who was voted in unanimously by the Rutgers Board of Governors, is currently provost at Northwestern University. “I was drawn to the opportunity at Rutgers University because of its amazing history, its foundation of excellence in teaching and its ambition to continue conducting life-changing research that improves our communities, our country and our world,” Holloway said in a statement.
“Bob Barchi’s extraordinary leadership has helped place Rutgers among the preeminent public universities in the world,” he added. “I cannot wait to help write the next chapter in the history of this magnificent institution.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy was excited about the hire.
Thrilled that @RutgersU is set to name Jonathan Holloway, Provost of @NorthwesternU, as its President. During our conversations, Dr. Holloway clearly showed he had the vision & experience to put the needs of students first & lead Rutgers to the next level.https://t.co/qCou52kBZV
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) January 19, 2020
“Jonathan Holloway is an extraordinarily distinguished scholar with an outstanding record as an academic administrator at Northwestern and Yale. He is thoughtful, visionary, inclusive and decisive. He leads with remarkable integrity, and is just the right person to build upon Rutgers’ long tradition as an academic and research powerhouse,” said Rutgers Board of Governors Chair Mark Angelson who also chaired the presidential search committee.
“Selecting our university president is perhaps the Board of Governors’ most important responsibility. We are confident that we have chosen the best person to lead Rutgers into the future,” he said.
The Board of Governors also appointed Holloway as a University Professor and Distinguished Professor. He serves on the boards of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Illinois Humanities, the National Humanities Alliance, the Society for United States Intellectual History and the Organization of American Historians. Holloway is an elected member of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Society of American Historians.
It’s not unusual for schools to have dress codes. I remember my school basically saying don’t wear gang insignia, baggy pants, “If you see the police, WARN A BROTHER!” shirts and things of that nature. A high school in Texas has a dress code, though, that doesn’t seem to account for black hair.
The NFL put out a gripping and heartfelt public service announcement today humanizing Botham Jean, the 26-year-old who was killed inside of his apartment by an off-duty police officer as he watched football and ate ice cream.
The PSA, part of the Responsibility Program, a joint initiative between the NFL and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, is narrated by Jean’s mom, Allison Jean, his sister, Alissa Findley, and also includes Jean’s father, Bertram Jean. The Responsibility Program focuses on social justice causes and the power of music.
READ MORE: Texas law enforcement group gives Botham Jean’s brother award for hugging Amber Guyger
https://t.co/0k9IQU4xM5
We are in this together.#EveryonesChild #InspireChange pic.twitter.com/yaH04eG2OA— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2020
The video series aims to “raise awareness about the need to come together to create change in our communities and respect one another,” the NFL told ABC News.
Botham’s PSA also allowed family members to address inequities in how Black men are perceived by some law enforcement.
“The color of my skin can be perceived as a weapon and it’s not. What has happened to Botham should not happen to another family,” Findley explained.
In the PSA, Allison Jean said “To know Botham was to love him. The world has lost a great man. He was destined for greatness.”
“Botham was everything to us. I just can’t do without him being here,” Botham’s father adds. “I looked forward to the day Botham would have gotten married, having kids. Life is not sweet anymore.”
Jean was killed on Sept. 6, 2018 in Dallas when former Dallas officer, Amber Guyger, illegally entered his apartment and fatally shot him. Guyger allegedly mistook Jean’s apartment for her own, which was located one floor down from Botham’s.
Last fall, Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the killing and could become eligible for parole in half that time.
Allison Jean says she hopes the PSA draws attention to the danger facing Black boys.
“What I hope to see happening is that our black boys are not seen as a threat,” she said.
Findley told ABC that she is thankful that the NFL and Jay-Z are raising awareness and honoring her brother’s life.
“I’m thankful that the NFL created this PSA to honor Botham’s legacy and deliver an important message about empathy and unity,” Findley said in a statement to ABC News. “I truly hope that our society learns from Botham’s story —and the stories of many others— so we can make a lasting change in this world. Together, we must all set a better example for future generations and leaders.”
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