A’mari Advocates at AUP

A’mari, 2017 Andover High School graduate, sent us the following update:

“I graduated class of 2017 from Andover High School. Currently, I am a rising senior at The American University of Paris (AUP) where I am majoring in Global Communications with two minors in Gender Studies and Socio-cultural Anthropology. This past spring my article “Don’t Touch My Hair!” was published in the “Decade Disrupted” Spring 2020 issue of the AUP Peacock Magazine. The article explores the representation of Black hair in the last decade and the effects that it has had on the Black community. My motivation to write this article stemmed from my growing impatience with the lack of physical and mental boundaries established to protect the Black community, specifically Black hair. Given my experience in debating this topic throughout my high school and college career, I decided to use this article to share an honest perspective on how history, media, and pop culture have fueled the joys and struggles of Black hair for generations.”

In her article, A’mari talks about the natural hair movement within the Black community and personalizes the story with her own and others’ experiences. She also refers to policies like the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act. Seven states have passed a bill prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles by extending statutory protections based on race to hair texture and protective styles in state Employment, Housing, Education Codes. In Massachusetts H.4828, An Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Natural Hairstyles, was reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means this month.

Her leadership at AUP extends beyond writing, as she shared, “My advocacy for the representation of the Black experience, especially in predominantly white environments, also includes the creation of Black and Abroad. I founded Black and Abroad after observing a familiar pattern of Black students being sidelined in academic curriculum and in social settings. The purpose of this club is to create a sense of community for Black students at AUP with the objectives of educating, advocating, and representing the Black student population. 

The presence that Black and Abroad has established in its first year has earned us the Student Leadership Award for Best Club at AUP this past spring. Last year I set a goal to amplify Black voices on a global scale, through which I have proudly done through writing and community building. These experiences serve as a foundation for the diversity, equity, and inclusion advocacy I hope to continue throughout my academic studies and into my professional career.”