Op/Ed

Mekhi Granby

Staff Writer

As of September 2016, it is legal for employers to discriminate against people with dreadlocks. The 11th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it is not racial discrimination for an employer to ask a person to get rid of/change their dreadlocks.

The decision/ruling came from a case involving Chastity Jones, an African American woman working for an insurance company. She sued the company after her white manager told her to get rid of her hair because “they tend to get messy.” The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which “prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin”.

On September 15th the appeals court ruled 3-0, ruling that the company’s action did not violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The law prohibits only discrimination on the basis of “immutable characteristics,” such as “race, color, or natural origin,” the court found: A “hairstyle, even one more closely associated with a particular ethnic group, is a mutable characteristic.”The court asserted that no hairstyle is intrinsically linked to a race, since hair can be changed.

I do not agree with the passing of this law, it does not sit well with me. How is it illegal to discriminate against someone’s race, color, religion, sex and national origin; but something as simple as a hairstyle can be the determining point if someone gets a job or not?

While I don’t wear dreadlocks myself, I have friends and relatives who do.

“Personally I don’t think I have been discriminated against for having my dreadlocks but employers always tell me to wear them tied up and out of my face,” said my older brother Kamal. He has been told that “if the dreadlocks come pass your shoulders employers will make you put them in a bun or rubber band.” “It depends on the job as well because if you go for a business job, looking neat is necessary,” said Kamal.

My uncle Craig who has dreadlocks that are much longer, says that it is hard for him to find a job. He is also much older than my older brother Kamal which leads me to think that there are some other factors that play into getting a job than just dreadlocks.

The different experiences of my brother and uncle show the range in ways that people can be treated. Telling someone what to do with their hair is different than telling them to get rid of it. I think it is reasonable for an employer to tell a person — especially in a business environment or a fast food place where it matters — that they have to wear their hair a certain way. However, refusing to hire a person because of the style of hair they have is just inappropriate, unprofessional and unfair.

I mean what’s next? If people are getting discriminated against their hair who’s to say that someone can’t get discriminated against for their lack of hair? Or the length of their hair?

Hairstyles that are traditionally associated with white people are rarely banned in professional environments. Yet corporate offices and even the U.S. Army have debated whether Afros, dreadlocks, and cornrows are “work-appropriate.” The passing of this law determines that it is no longer about professionalism it is about race.

Ella Petersen

Staff Writer

At this point in my high school career, I feel guilty when I find myself scrolling through my Instagram feed. I remember that I could be submitting my fourth college application or finding an internship for that perfect resume builder.

Yes, the rumors are true. Senior year is about applying to college. But, it’s also about regular school work, and on top of that, a year-long project to showcase what four years at SLA has taught you. Not to mention, it’s benchmark season. The amount of work has tripled for these next two weeks while college work is like taking an extra class.

What it’s not about? Sleep. I am the type of person that needs a solid 7 hours to function. I’m pretty much dead after cross country practice and then I am expected to come home and get in a good 1-2 hours of homework, work on my college essay, edit my friend’s college essay, maybe get to some college apps, search for scholarships, eat dinner, and go to bed at a decent time.

I really was going to try to wear actual clothes this year instead of sweatpants but it is getting more difficult as the year goes on. Mornings are not fun after a long night of doing 800 things.

Standardized tests and test prep has taken up a good portion of my weekends since the beginning of the school year. I have taken the SAT three times. That’s 9 hours of my life spent testing in an overly air-conditioned

After my college apps are in, you might see more of me because I won’t be a hermit in my room with my laptop and the lights off. I can’t wait until the bags under my eyes are a little less prevalent and I have the free time to get a good night’s sleep and finish season two of Narcos.

Luke Risher

Guest Writer

While many believe that Dr. Hite is in charge of the district, but really he reports to the School Reform Commission(SRC). Dr. Hite’s primary function is to run the district on the day to day basis. He has no control over policy making or decision making.The School Reform Commission (SRC) is the entity that’s really running the district. The SRC has had a 15 year history of making decisions that have negatively impacts our schools. The school system in this city has lacked control for too long.

The SRC was founded in 2001 by the state of Pennsylvania to take control of the Philadelphia schools. The reason given was that the Philadelphia schools and School District weren’t performing sufficiently. The true reason for the underperformance was the underfunding and a lack of property state support. The state decided that a Commission of appointed members, who weren’t from Philadelphia, would be better than local say in what happened to our students.

The SRC is made up of 5 members appointed by both the Governor and Mayor. They do not get paid but may enjoy a fair amount of political capital. These five members hold meetings, both public and private, to make decisions on every aspect of the district, from funding to school closures.

The issue is that the SRC has failed to represent the interests of the students, teachers, and school community of Philadelphia. They enacted mass school closures, gave dozens of schools to for-profit charters despite community objections, failed to give teacher a contract or any raise in years, and more personally are moving SLA to a non center city location in the very near future. These and a host of other bad decisions show us that the SRC is not only fundamentally unfair because it denies citizens local control of their own district, but also has failed to operate in the interests of the Philadelphia community.

The way to abolish the SRC is to have them hold a vote in which they disassemble themselves. Three of the five members must vote to disassemble it to pass the action. The SRC position like any other government position, runs on terms. Three of the five members were up to be reappointed in January. Now it has developed that two of the three are resigning earlier. Feather Houston, one of the three,  has already resigned, she’ll be followed by Marjie Neff next month and Sylvia Simms in January. Basically there are three seats open to get people who would abolish the SRC onto the SRC. By pressuring Mayor Kenny and Governor Wolf to appoint people who will vote to dissolve the SRC, we can fill those 3 positions, have a SRC vote on local control with majority in support, and we’ll regain local control!

After we regain local control there are many questions about what comes next, but the first step is that the decisions will go to a mayoral appointed board. The public still can’t vote the members directly in, but in this model education will be a major issue on the mayoral ticket in the future so we can hear mayor’s positions on who they would appoint and what their education vision would be. This allows the public to consider these factor when going to vote. Also if we had that local control then we could formulate a system where we could vote for the members.

We should all care about this issue. The SRC runs our schools and makes the decisions for our schools and has failed to better our education in Philadelphia. Closing schools, cutting programs, and turning a blind eye to the calls for help from the school communities, the SRC has been a negative force on our education. For students here at SLA the decision of where our building is is up to the SRC who has shown their view is in favor of moving the school despite the voices of the entire SLA and large education community. It’s time for the SRC to go and we can make it happen!

Get involved by connecting with education organizations. Education Matter, Working Educators, and Philadelphia Student Union are three very strong organizations in our SLA community that are working on this issue. Stay in the loop and show up to the protests, townhalls, SRC meetings, and other events that will keep the pressure up on Mayor Kenny and Governor Wolf. Follow these organizations on social media, talk to everyone you know about what’s going on, follow the news as everything develops, and make calls directly to the mayors and governors office and tell them your position. We need to stay engaged and active in our education more than ever to regain control!

Dear Donald Trump,

Have you noticed the disrespect that have been going around our country? These days, It’s your fault.

“The Hispanics,” “the Muslims” and “the blacks.” You continue to use these phrases in your speeches.

Why does this language offend me? You continue to use “the” before addressing us as if we were objects, but in reality we are human beings that have been oppressed multiple times by the systems of our country. It may not seem like a big deal for you, but it’s definitely a big deal for me and my brothers and sisters.

You disrespect people that have nothing to do with you, that have never asked for your attention. You continue to help people find reasons to oppress minorities. You have disappointed the Black Community, and  you have has been disrespectful to almost every minority group in our Country. As an African American male, I am disappointed that this country has allowed a bigot to become a frontrunner for President of These United States.

During last Wednesday’s debate, you continued to say the African Americans and The Hispanics. But during his closing statement he hit home for urban city residents and in the past hit home for residents directly in Philadelphia.

“I know the city so well, because I went to college here, but it’s very sad to see what’s going on inside Philadelphia,” he said. “It’s gotten so much worse than when I was going. It’s dangerous; the crime numbers are up. Your mayor is doing a terrible job.”

During Mr. Trump’s time as a student at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960’s, Philadelphia was a much different place. But the changes have nothing to do with our most recent mayor. Mr. Trump, why do you continue to one target urban communities and minorities in your speeches? Why do you tell us we are living in hell? What do you hope to gain from these attacks?

I think you are one of the worst candidates that have ever run for office. You should never be addressed as Commander in-Chief. You should never have access to the nuclear codes.

At this point, it doesn’t look like you have any chance of winning, anyway. But I promise you something — if you win, I will never address you as President of The United States. You have disrespected the American people in a way that makes you unqualified for the job.