There's been a lot of hair talk in the News this week, it started with an outpouring of support for Belmopan City council receptionist Cheyenne Banner after she refused her supervisor's suggestion to straighten her afro.
And we can report another victory for natural tresses, this one in the Supreme Court today where Justice Sonya Young declared the police department's ban on dreadlocks for female officers unconstitutional. Attorney for the claimants Leslie Mendez put it like this in a Facebook post, quote: "The court found that it was an assault on human dignity!!! Be proud of your judiciary today. Justice Young really delivered a resounding victory for these incredible women, who stood their ground, even as their jobs were on the line." End quote.
It's a decision that marks a huge win against regulations deemed discriminatory to black women, and a major step forward for self-expression. We asked the COMPOL about it today but he says that those limitations are already a thing of the past.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"That matter is long behind us. I even forgot about that matter, because the truth is the female or the officers involved they have been working and we have no issues. Some of them have been promoted, even with their dreadlocks and the court ruling is the court ruling. That's the reason why we have a court system. The court looks at laws and where the court find that certain laws or certain rules are inconsistent with the constitution it is the court's duty to point it out to us and then we must make amends to our policies and so I have absolutely no issue with the court ruling."
Reporter
'What's your position on natural hair in a professional environment?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"While yes I do believe that women should be able to express themselves, particularly in terms of how their natural appearance in supposed to be, I do believe that when it comes to a professional organization that they must be some guidelines that women should be able to follow. The guidelines must not be too rigid that it takes away from them their ability to express themselves. When it comes to police, BDF, coast guard we are a discipline organization and the fact that the nature of our work allows us to interact with people and may even come into some degree of struggle with people, like for example a police going to arrest someone - you don't want to have your hair in a style that the person that you may go to arrest will use your hair as a weapon against you, but when it comes to other types of profession that does not engage the public like the police do. So long as the person hair looks neat I don't see an issue with it."
The Commissioner also told us that male cops hoping to grow dread locks shouldn't get any ideas, because while the guidelines for women's hair were previously ambiguous the guidelines for men's hairstyles are strict and extremely clear. He also told us that he doesn't believe that any court would countenance that change on the grounds of expression when the guidelines remain present to new recruits upon admission have not changed.
