Vicksburg, Miss., high school student Patrick Richardson (pictured above) will be banned from attending any of his school's homecoming festivities unless he chops off his dreadlocks.
High school officials did not mince words when they told the young man that keeping his dreads would result in not being able to escort his best friend and junior class maid, Sa'shia Jones, to homecoming. According to Richardson, the principal told him to cut his dreads, after he had just paid for a tux fitting in order to attend the event that was only a week away:
"When I decided to grow my hair, that's what I wanted to do. I thought my hair was acceptable but my principal told me that homecoming was of a higher standard and that dreads are not acceptable."
Richardson has been growing his dreads since last October, and now they're about eight inches long. He had actually planned on braiding his hair and pulling it back for Friday's long-anticipated affair.
Tammi Mason (pictured above), the 16-year-old's mother, is highly disturbed that her son's decision to express himself culturally is being totally disregarded. She is also angry that the monies he paid for the tux fitting will not be refunded. Mason told WLBT News:
"It's actually a form of discrimination to me, because if that's the case then everybody who's fat shouldn't be able to be in it on the court. They could say anything. Actually they could say you have to be a size 10 to be one of the maids," said Mason.
Another parent of a child who attends the high school, Lynda Jackson, is also upset that her son, De-Marcus, is also banned from escorting a sophomore maid because he, too, sports dreads.
Vicksburg School superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Swinford upholds the high school's decision to ban dreadlocks from Friday's homecoming ceremonies, although she admits that there is no written policy regarding dreads. Still she says that there is a practice that does not allow the hairstyle on the homecoming court.
School officials are now looking into drafting a written policy that would uphold the dreadlocks ban at homecoming.
Meanwhile, teed off moms Mason and Jackson may be seeking legal counsel, although it is too late to at this stage to help their sons gain entry in to this year's homecoming.
09-Sep-10 - Prominent gospel music artist Marvin Sapp recently lost his wife, MaLinda Sapp, to colon cancer. The couple had been married for 15 years and they had three children.
09-Sep-10 - Prominent gospel music artist Marvin Sapp recently lost his wife, MaLinda Sapp, to colon cancer. The couple had been married for 15 years and they had three children.
09-Sep-10 - San Jose State University student Courtney Howard said she and other pledges were warned that 'snitches get stitches' while they were punched, kicked and paddled during their initiation by four Sigma Gamma Rho sorority members.
09-Sep-10 - George Grier, who lives in Long Island, was arrested for using an AK-47 assault rifle to protect his family from gang members who were threatening to hurt them.
08-Sep-10 - Rodney King, whose senseless beating by the Los Angeles police became fodder for news outlets worldwide, became engaged to one of the jurors who awarded him a $3.8 million settlement in a civil suit against the LAPD.
03-Sep-10 - African-American males in Detroit between the ages of 15 and 24 are dying at a rate that is roughly seven times higher than the rest of the Detroit population.
02-Sep-10 - Hip-hop zillionaire 50 Cent, who is no stranger to drug arrest, offered fellow rapper T.I. and his wife, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, some advice on how to best deal with the recent felony charge that they're facing for possession of a controlled substance.
02-Sep-10 - Iconic rapper T.I., 29, and his new bride, Tameka Cottle, 35, a TV reality star, were arrested Wednesday night in West Hollywood and booked on felony possession of a controlled substance charge.
31-Aug-10 - The eldest of John McCain's four children, Meghan has now publicly revealed her feelings about Sarah Palin in her new book, 'Dirty Sexy Politics.'
27-Aug-10 - Alveda King's decision to join forces with Fox News host Glenn Beck during his bogus March on Washington is likely one of the most shocking and extraordinary political events in recent months.
