Singer Mel B, alongside Labour MP Paulette Hamilton and other prominent Black Britons, is championing a campaign urging UK lawmakers to take legislative action against afro hair discrimination. The movement seeks to amend the Equality Act 2010 to include afro hair as a protected characteristic, making the UK the first Western country to enforce such a law.
World Afro Day (WAD) Campaign’s Call for Action
The World Afro Day (WAD) campaign has initiated an open letter, signed by 100 supporters, urging MPs to vote for the recognition and prevention of afro hair discrimination. Notable figures such as singer Beverley Knight, writer and campaigner Patrick Hutchinson, and presenter Fleur East have joined the cause. The letter emphasizes that the exclusion of hair as a protected characteristic has led to widespread discrimination and the normalization of afro hair being treated as inferior across various aspects of life.
This call to action is part of WAD’s 100 Voices, 100 Words campaign, where each supporter has written a 100-word statement on why the proposed law change is crucial.
Parliamentary Efforts and Drop-In Clinic
The campaign will also host a drop-in clinic at parliament, featuring Paulette Hamilton, WAD founder Michelle De Leon, Patrick Hutchinson, and presenter Sarah-Jane Crawford. Attendees, including their children, will advocate for changes that will positively impact future generations.
Campaigners argue that children in the UK are often penalized in schools for natural afro hairstyles, while adults face similar discrimination in workplaces. Michelle De Leon, founder of WAD, 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. We simply do not have the right laws in the UK to stop generations of Afro hair discrimination from continuing.”
Mel B’s Personal Story of Hair Discrimination
Mel B, formerly of the Spice Girls, shared her own experience of afro hair discrimination in the early days of her career. Recalling the first video shoot for the hit single Wannabe, she explained how stylists pressured her to straighten her hair. “My big hair didn’t fit the pop star mould,” she said. Mel B resisted, choosing to embrace her natural hair and identity. “I stood my ground – backed by my girls – and I sang and danced as me, with my big hair, my brown skin, and I was totally proud of who I was.”
The singer proudly supports WAD’s efforts to push for an amendment to the Equality Act that would offer legal protection against afro hair discrimination.
Impact on Communities
Paulette Hamilton, the first Black MP for Birmingham and a mother of four daughters, highlighted the importance of this campaign, noting its potential to impact local communities and all people with afro hair in the UK. For Hamilton and many others, this movement signifies a step toward ending generations of discrimination and harassment faced by individuals with afro-textured hair.
This push for legislative change comes after long-standing concerns about unequal treatment of people with afro hair in both educational and professional settings, with the goal of ensuring dignity and equality for all.
