HBCU Sparks Uproar With Dress Code Banning Bonnets and Durags

As students began the fall semester at Tuskegee University on Wednesday, they were subject to a new dress code that prohibits them from wearing bonnets and durags — commonly worn head coverings in Black culture to protect textured hair and preserve hairstyles — in classrooms and public spaces on campus.

The private historically Black Tuskegee, Alabama, institution made national waves last month when students were notified of the policy, which extends to all “other non-religious or non-medically required head coverings” as well as revealing clothing and bedroom shoes.

In an email to the student body obtained by ABC News, Tuskegee president Dr. Mark A. Brown explained that the new rules are intended to “prepare [students] with a solid foundation for the workforce”.

{snip}

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Brown stood by the dress code policy — repeatedly characterizing it as a means for “student success”.

He cited conversations with “industry” and “company CEOs” that helped inform his decision making.

{snip}

He clarified to ABC News that if students disobey the dress code, the administration will reinforce the policy to ensure that they are aware of how they are “expected to be attired.”

“If they choose not to do that, then the student is saying they choose not to be a student at Tuskegee,” Brown said. “Now I don’t expect that extreme. … I expect the students to learn and move on.”

{snip}