“It’s in [Their] Roots”: A Critical Race Discourse Analysis of Media Accounts Depicting Black Hair Discrimination in K-12 School

As many U.S. school administrators create policies around hair, many often neglect to consider racial differences, especially those pertaining to hair care and maintenance styles. News media outlets have recently highlighted the ways schools create and sustain racially biased policies and schooling environments, demonstrating the media’s role in promoting awareness of schools’ mistreatment of Black children. This study examines media reports that shed light on these dynamics, focusing on urban/metropolitan areas in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Massachusetts. We ask: What do news media accounts—explicitly and implicitly—reveal about Black children and their families' experiences with hair policies in K-12 schools? We take up critical race discourse analysis to examine selected news media accounts of four recent, high profile (i.e., viral) events of Black students’ experiences with hair policies in K-12 U.S. schools. Analysis of our data revealed that Black students face undue discrimination due to schools’ hair policies, and that they and their families reject antiBlack constructions of Black hair care practices and styles. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023.