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Charity That Got $200K From NFL’s Inspire Change Apologized For Cutting Dreadlocks

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Roc Nation And NFL Announce Partnership

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The partnership between the NFL and Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation has come under an avalanche of criticism, egged on in no part by the pair’s Inspire Change initiative giving money to a Chicago organization. The Crushers Club, a group that once paraded the fact it cut dreadlocks off some of its participants in a bid to “better themselves,” is now apologizing for the acts.

NBC News reports:

Sally Hazelgrove, founder and executive director of the Crushers Club, a Chicago-based nonprofit, said the two photos that were widely circulated online this week were taken in October 2016 and that the two teens had requested she shear their dreads. She said the images originally appeared in tweets she sent from the Crushers Club’s Twitter account.

“This was something they asked me to do because they were looking to change their identities,” Hazelgrove told NBC News on Friday, adding that her organization has no policy regarding hairstyles.

Hazelgrove, who is white, said she posted both of the tweets, including one on Oct. 25, 2016, that said: “Another Crusher let me cut his dreads off! It’s symbolic of change and their desire for a better life!”

In another tweet that September, she used the hashtag #loveshorthair.

Hazelgrove’s tweets were uncovered by Twitter account @RzstProgramming, highlighting some of what was reported above. The account has issued several tweets aimed at or related to the Crushers Club, including their ongoing campaign to correct the poor optics of Inspire Change’s donation.

The NFL and Roc Nation have kept mum about their donation to Crushers Club.

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Photo: Getty

Source: HipHopWired.com

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Texas Mother Claims Elementary School Forced her Son to Cut Dreadlocks

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Tiffany Brown is outraged after her son Jonathan’s elementary school demanded that he cut his dreadlocks off.

Spring Valley Elementary School sent the 6-year-old with a letter home ahead of Christmas break saying that his hair was against the dress code, and that he returns to school with a hair cut.

Brown, who is also an author, shared the disgusting letter on Twitter asking what does his hairstyle have to do with his ability to learn.

“Hair must not be lower than the bottom of the ears or collar in the back,” the letter dictates, accompanied by a handwritten note stating “please cut by Jan. 8th.”

“Children of color have been targeted for many years, because of what others see as the norms in our society,” Brown told Yahoo Lifestyle. “Because of these norms that are blinding people in our society, some people have stated that dreadlocks are a fashion statement and my child should conform and express himself when he’s older. Dreadlocks are part of my African culture, not a fashion statement.”

Jonathan returned to school with his dreadlocks still in tact and was called into the office to have a discussion about his Christmas break. But of course, the conversation was about his hair. “My son Jonathan went from loving his hair yesterday to opting to cut his hair today, after this meeting,” Tiffany said. “Yesterday, he loved his hair and didn’t want it cut; today he’s frustrated and doesn’t, after speaking with a school official.”

The post Texas Mother Claims Elementary School Forced her Son to Cut Dreadlocks appeared first on The Source.

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Black High School Wrestler Who Had Dreadlocks Cut Had Hair Tossed In Trash

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A high school wrestling match

Source: Tom Carter / Getty

Andrew Johnson, the New Jersey high school wrestler who had his dreadlocks cut before a match, could have salvaged the mishap by referee Alan Maloney who demanded the hair’s removal. However, the 16-year-old athlete didn’t get that chance as his hair was tossed away in the garbage.

TMZ reports:

The brutal decision wrestler Andrew Johnson was forced to make didn’t have to end the way it did, because dreadlocks can be reattached … but not in his case, because we’ve learned all the hair that was cut off was thrown in a dumpster.

Fact is … dreadlocks can be reattached in a number of ways. It’s a process that typically takes a few months to complete, but it’s doable. Dreads can be fused together, even after some are cut off.

We’re told almost immediately after the referee for Andrew’s wrestling match gave him the impossible ultimatum, the dreads were swept up — no questions asked — and thrown in the trash.

Sources connected to Johnson’s family tell TMZ, Andrew has done nothing with his hair since it was butchered at the meet. He’s gotten a bunch of offers from various hair care professionals, but so far he’s made no decisions.

Buena Regional School District Superintendent David Cappuccio has since said his district will no longer allow Maloney to work wrestling matches. Johnson’s family is considering legal action at the moment as well.

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Photo: Getty

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White Ref Who Cut Black High School Wrestler’s Dreadlocks Under Investigation

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Jogging by the sea

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A New Jersey high school is the center of a controversy which some say has racist undertones. Andrew Johnson, a wrestler for Buena Regional High School, was ordered to cut his dreadlocks before a match by a white referee who is now under investigation by state officials.

TMZ Sports reports:

The incident involves Buena Regional High School athlete Andrew Johnson — who was seen on video getting his dreadlocks chopped off before a match this week.

In the footage, Johnson looks distraught. People are furious, claiming the ultimatum was racially motivated since the ref, Alan Maloney, has previously been disciplined for making a racist comment in 2016.

The way it’s being explained to us … Maloney has not been formally suspended or disciplined for the Johnson incident, but officials feel it’s best to keep him off the mat while they gather information.

A source connected to Maloney tells us his position is that he was merely enforcing a rule about hair maintenance — and insists race was not a factor.

Meanwhile, we spoke with a rep for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association — which oversees high school sports in NJ — a who gave us the following statement.

“The NJSIAA has been in direct contact with school officials and is now awaiting official incident reports. A report also has been requested from the referee involved. In addition – and as per its formal sportsmanship policy – the NJSIAA has provided initial information to the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights and will continue to send updates as they become available.”

Despite the embarrassment, Johnson won his match, which notched an overall win for the school.

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Photo: Getty

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