The Halo Code, the UK’s first Black hair code for schools and workplaces has been launched. This code makes sure that Black men and women have the freedom and security to wear their hair any way they please without restriction or judgment.
It has been created to be incorporated into existing staff and student dress code policies. When employers and schools adopt the code, they are explicitly accepting afro-textured hairstyles as part of their dress code. Although race-based hair discrimination has been illegal in the UK since the Equalities Act became law in 2010, it is still a regular occurrence.
The code protects students and employees who come to school or work with natural hair and protective hairstyles associated with their racial, ethnic, and cultural identities.
The Halo Collective is campaigning to help schools and workplaces understand how to fulfil their legal and moral obligations, and to help pupils, parents, and employees understand how to safeguard their right not to be discriminated against.
Currently, the Equalities Act 2010 states that race-based hair discrimination is illegal, including indirect discrimination, where a policy that applies to everyone equally in theory, in practice unduly discriminates against people with a protected characteristic.
The Halo Collective was founded by a group of 30 young Black activists who have experienced hair discrimination firsthand and been failed by their educators and/or employers.
