Kanaan VyShonne Barton says he’s following all other school rules but shouldn’t have to cut his hair: ‘My locs represent strength’

A Black student at a Mormon university in Hawaii said he has been told by staff to cut his shoulder-length hair because it does not adhere to school policies, he said.

Kanaan VyShonne Barton, a student at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, told the Salt Lake Tribune he has been engaged in a battle with the school since September over the length of his hair, which he has refused to cut.

The university requires students to follow an “honor code”, which states hair should be “neatly trimmed”, although the code has no official guidance on length.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    It was always weird how many Mormons and Scientologists lived in Hawaii…

    Like, I get turning to a cult in Utah, there’s nothing going on and pretty much everyone else is in it already.

    But you live in Hawaii, just go hang out at the beach

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      In my view as a haole from the mainland who’s never visited our 50th state…

      A black Mormon is weird.

      A black Hawaiian Mormon is weirder.

      A black Hawaiian Mormon that still has natural hair? That goes beyond my understanding.

  • HikingVet@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    What is with conservative groups and their weird fixation with hair length? It’s not like its a historically set thing for men or women.

    • snooggums@midwest.social
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      6 months ago

      The best part is the Mormon depiction of Jesus has long flowing locks that go at least past his collar and a beard. The church promotes being clean shaven and a stereotypical military cut for boys.

      • randompasta@lemmy.today
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        6 months ago

        Brigham Young had a long beard. Brigham Young would not be able to attend Brigham Young University because of the honor code about being clean shaven.

    • satanmat@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Conformity and control.

      We’re all alike so I must be correct because everyone around me looks and believes like I do

    • Lath@kbin.earth
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      6 months ago

      The tale of Samson. It’s always the tale of Samson.

      Why, why why? Delilah!

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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      6 months ago

      I mean, it’s been that way in many parts of the western world for hundreds of years.

      So yeah. It has gone long enough to call it “historically”, I’d say.

      • girlfreddy@lemmy.ca
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        6 months ago

        I started school in the mid 60’s and we never had rules for hair.

        We did have idiotic rules that boys got to do shop and girls had to do “home ec”, short for learning how to cook, clean and mend for your future husband.

        • AmidFuror@fedia.io
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          6 months ago

          For boys, we had marching, bayonet drills, grenade throwing, trench digging, map reading, gas defense, camouflage, trap setting, ambush techniques, war games, firing guns, and blowing stuff up.

          For girls: dressing wounds, making beds, and learning how to get pregnant.

      • Ech@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        It was normal to sell Africans like cattle when some people were younger. What’s your point?

  • wjrii@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    https://archive.ph/yhf6D

    During a meeting the following month, Barton said Kau was more explicit than anyone before. Barton said the man told him he needed to lose his locs, that they were “a distraction” and that Barton was “trying to push his own agenda and be defiant.”

    BYU campuses are not healthy places.

  • ghostpony@infosec.pub
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    6 months ago

    “I didn’t think the leopards would eat my face!”, says man who joined the Leopards Eating Faces party.

    • Ech@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      Eh, it’s a kid that was, presumably, raised in a way that made byu seem like a good choice. That’s probably not a very informative environment. This is a learning moment for them. Hopefully their experience here will expose some things for them.

    • kautau@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Filling out the school checklist like

      [ ] multiple wives

      “Oh I definitely want that”

      [ ] it’s a cult

      “Well, what isn’t nowadays?”

      [ ] have to cut your hair

      “WAIT A SECOND”

  • Sagrotan@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Mormon (!) private (!!) school. You visit the private educational institution of a cult and you wonder why they wanna make you cut your hair? Wait for the cool-aid.

  • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    Here’s what’s going to happen.

    At the end of the school year, his bishop–his local religious leader–is not going to renew ecclesiastical endorsement. Barton will be invited to ‘re-apply’. If he does re-apply, he will find that he is no longer competitive. If he’s very, very lucky, BYU-H will forward his academic records to whichever school he continues his education at.

    This is the way that BYU handles students when it doesn’t want to make a scene by simply kicking them out.

  • FlashZordon@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I work with an older guy who goes to a Mormon church. I have longer than average hair and he always makes side comments about how long my hair is whenever we’re talking. It never feels malicious or anything. But it’s just brought up CONSTANTLY.

  • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Religious schools have basically always been like this. When I was in a Catholic school in the 80s I remember them literally measuring boys hair and sending notes home.

    • tal@lemmy.today
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      6 months ago

      On one hand, 1 Corinthians 11:14-15:

      Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

      But, then, on the other hand…

      1 Corinthians 11:1:

      Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

      1000007276

      Getting some real mixed messages here, 1 Corinthians 11.

  • Jimmybander@champserver.net
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    6 months ago

    Why would you want to associate with a school that has rules about things like this? They don’t care about this student. Would probably be happy that they are “out of their hair”.