Baltimore Students Bring Attention To 'Forced Assimilation' Of Their Identities Through Protest

http://thinkprogress.org/education/2016/03/22/3762358/formation-week-baltimore/


A group of Baltimore students are protesting school uniforms at their school this week, spurring conversations about oppression of people of color.


Students are calling the protest Formation Week — a named taken from the title of Beyonce’s new hit single — and calling the school’s expectations around head scarves and wraps, which don’t apply to practicing Muslim students, “forced assimilation” that “ignores the rich culture and history of black hair.”


The students, organizing within the group City Bloc, are protesting school uniforms at their school as well as fostering conversations about structural inequality and cultural expression at Baltimore City College, a selective public college-preparatory school.