Labour MP Paulette Hamilton and singer Mel B are among leading black Britons lobbying MPs to make Britain the first Western country to introduce anti-afro hair legislation.
The World Afro Day (WAD) campaign has written an open letter to MPs calling on them to vote in favour of amending the Equality Act 2010 to include afro hair as a protected right and to recognise and prevent discrimination against afro hair.
The letter has been signed by 100 activists and supporters, including singer Beverley Knight, author and activist Patrick Hutchinson, singer and presenter Fleur East, school governor Evelyn Ford MBE and Professor Patrick Vernon OBE.
“The lack of a protected category of hair in the law fosters everyday discrimination and leads to afro hair being viewed as inferior in all areas of life,” they warned.
The letter was part of WAD's “100 Voices, 100 Words” campaign, in which each advocate wrote 100 words about why a change in the law is important.
The campaign will host a stop-off clinic at the Capitol with Hamilton, WAD founder Michelle de Leon, Hutchinson and TV and radio host Sarah Jane Crawford, who will be there with children to “focus on change for the next generation.”
Campaigners have long said British children are unfairly punished in school for wearing their Afros naturally or maintaining them with protective measures, while adults in British workplaces also face discrimination, harassment and assault.
Mr de Leon said: “Laws are actually there to tell people what is right and what is wrong and to protect minority groups from oppression, discrimination and injustice. The UK does not have adequate legislation to stop generations of Afro hair discrimination continuing.”
“As Birmingham's first black Member of Parliament and the mother of four daughters, I know the impact this campaign will have on my local community and people with Afros across the UK,” Ms Hamilton said.
Mel B said, “When I was with the Spice Girls and we shot the video for 'Wannabe,' the stylist took one look at my hair and said it had to be straightened. My big hair didn't fit the pop star mold. But I stood my ground and with the support of my peers, I sang and danced my own way, with big hair and brown skin, and was incredibly proud of who I was.”
“So I'm proud to support World Afro Day, which is calling for equality legislation to protect against Afro hair discrimination in the UK.”
