Over the past few weeks, the debate surrounding discrimination in Dominican Republic’s public and private schools has been a major topic of discussion following a case of discrimination against a girl who wore her Afro-textured hair to a school in the eastern region of the country. Subsequently, the firing of the Ministry of Education’s Director of Gender Equality for creating a video in support of natural hair also sparked outrage among local organizers and activists. As a response, the organization Cero Discriminación RD and others made a call on social media over the weekend for students, educators and the general public to wear their hair natural to school or to the workplace on April 1.
“Let’s put a stop to racial discrimination, for that reason this Monday April 1, wear your Afro, your natural hair to school or work without fear,” Cero Discriminación RD said in a post on their Instagram page. “We too have the right to equality.”
As a result women and girls —who often bear the brunt of discrimination on the basis of hair and are targeted by Eurocentric beauty campaigns— are also posting photos online to accentuate Black pride. And the images are stunning, highlighting the growing movement to reclaim negritude in the country. Check out some images here:
***
Amanda Alcántara is the Digital Media Editor at Futuro Media. She tweets from @YoSoy_Amanda.
