Lawrence Charles a senior at McClintock High School got escorted off campus on April 11 for refusing to take his durag off. The next day he was given an in-school suspension because he wanted to have his durag, according to The Grio. The schools assistant principal, who is Black said that the durag was not necessary for a “college-ready environment.” In a video posted to Twitter, Charles explains that the assistant principal told him, “I’m an African-American woman, and I know how they work.” She continued, “You don’t need to be wearing your durag at school. I’m trying to make McClintock a college-ready environment, and that starts with not wearing your durag at school.” Charles found her explanation of his durag racist. Over the years, durag’s have received a bad connotation, often being associated with gang affiliations and as an accessory worn by African-American men. “The problem in our society is that durag’s place negative labels and stereotypes predominantly on the black community and black male community. Young black males should be able to wear what they want,” explains Dr. David E. Jones, a diversity consultant weighing in on the matter. Although this stereotype and association with durag’s are true, Twitter had a conversation of its own on whether Charles should be allowed to wear a durag at school. Check out the tweets to see what people had to say about Charles durag.
