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A Black college student is locked in a months-long dispute with his Mormon school over the length of his locs, which he considers an important cultural symbol. According to The Guardian, Kanaan VyShonne Barton is fighting with Brigham Young University (BYU)-Hawaii over their hair policy, which requires students to keep their hair "neatly trimmed" under an "honor code."
Barton alleges Jonathan Kalaonalani Kau, the vice president of student life, called his locs a "distraction" and then instructed the student to cut his hair. The official allegedly accused the Black pupil of "pushing his own agenda and being defiant."
Barton pushed back against his school's demands, saying his locs are an integral part of his Afro-Guyanese American heritage.
“Regardless of the length of my hair, I am spiritually involved. I am actively going to church,” he told the Salt Lake Tribune. “But my locs mean something to me. They are culture. They are family. I shouldn’t have to cut my hair to get an education here.”
According to the grooming policy, student's hair should be “clean, neat, modest, and avoid extremes in styles and colors,” reporters found. They also noted that the code doesn't mention anything about hair length. In the meantime, Barton said he's styling his hair to stay above his collar.
BYU and its other campuses operate under The Church of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), which has a history steeped in racism and anti-Black discrimination. Despite revoking discriminatory policies and disavowing their previous religious teachings, many Black adherents today allege both implicit and blatant racist experiences with the church.
A 2021 internal report also found many BYU students of color feel unsafe and isolated on campuses. Barton's fight to keep his locs puts the spotlight back on the school's institutional policies clashing with their progress on addressing racial biases.
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