Hampshire College is back in the news…How dare you wear your hair like that!
A 20-year-old woman, Carmen Figueroa, is being charged with disorderly conduct, assault and battery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. According to court documents, Figueroa assaulted a member of a visiting Central Maine Community College basketball team over “cultural appropriation.” The victim was a white student who was wearing her hair in braids. Apparently, Figueroa—who hails from Brooklyn, NY—had a problem with the victim’s hair.
The term ‘cultural appropriation’ confuses me to some extent. My interpretation of the term is that it implies one culture stealing ideas, music, fashion, or otherwise from non-white cultural groups. According to Oxford, the term “carries connotations of exploitation and dominance.”
It’s absolutely ridiculous to justify a violent crime by citing something like cultural appropriation. In any case, Figueroa took issue with this young woman wearing her hair in braids. Apparently, that hairstyle belongs to certain cultural groups, and they should be the only ones allowed to wear their hair that way. According to the charges, Figueroa kicked and stomped the victim while she was on the ground– over her hairstyle!
It blows me away that this occurred in an institution of higher learning. One would think that colleges are meant to be all-inclusive and free from preconceived notions and judgments against others of a different nationality. Then again, headlines have shown that ever since the election, many issues have sprung up on college campuses around the United States from the cancellation of invited speakers to violent protests. But regardless of our new social norms, this incident is absolutely shameful.
As a former student athlete, I know from personal experience that braiding hair is the easiest way to play sports. The style keeps strands of hair from interfering with performance, or even safety. We can be pretty certain that these players didn’t set out to oppress a different culture by deciding to braid their hair. Furthermore, I fail to see how that’s even an insult towards one particular culture. It seems like the United States has turned into one big debate over political correctness and coddling. It’s hard to tell what actions will offend those who claim to be “woke” or aware of the travesty that is social injustice.
Policing the hairstyle of one particular demographic group is uncalled for and downright bullying. How can a dialogue take place among cultures if violence is the end of the discussion? Intimidation is a tactic used by terrorists and violent offenders, not everyday citizens – or in this case college athletes. Although in this particular incident, it doesn’t sound like a whole lot of discussion went on. Figueroa insisted that this player take action and correct something that offended her delicate nature. When things didn’t go her way, Figueroa resorted to physically attacking the victim.
Surprisingly, Hampshire College didn’t have any comments regarding the incident. These are the types of actions we need to speak out on as a nation. Coming together as decent human beings to denounce such horrible actions in the name of preserving culture is something we should all be on board with. Violence is never the answer.
Angelina Newsom is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. She has ten years experience in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She studies Criminal Justice and is still active within the military community.
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