From school rules to scalp health: how South Africa’s Black hair conversation has changed

In 2016, Black girls' hair became a national debate after pupils at Pretoria Girls High challenged school rules governing how they could wear it. What began as a dispute over a school dress code quickly became a national conversation: a public reckoning that treated some forms of Black hair more aesthetic than others, raising important questions around identity and dignity.A lot has changed since then. Natural hair is far more visible in public life and South African schools. National guidelines requiring schools to consider religious and cultural diversity in uniform policy have existed since 2006, and recent scrutiny, including a…