Mom Visits 7 Schools — All Reject Her Son Over His Hair. What She Did Next Left People Speechless (2 of 3)
Over the next four months, Monique visited seven schools across her district in suburban Texas. Each one had a different way of saying the same thing: Jalen’s hair—thick, natural, and unapologetically his—didn’t fit the mold. Some hinted at “distractions in the classroom.” Others cited “dress code enforcement.” One principal even suggested she “consider a low fade, just to make life easier.”
Monique smiled politely, walked out, and crossed that school off the list.
“I kept thinking, easier for who?” she says now. “Because it sure wouldn’t be easier for my son, waking up every day with a piece of himself cut away just to make others comfortable.”
Monique isn’t an activist. She’s a dental assistant who works late and folds laundry on the couch after Jalen’s bedtime. But when it comes to her son’s sense of self, she draws the line hard.
Jalen’s hair isn’t just hair. It’s the way he recognizes himself in the mirror. It’s the twisty curls his grandmother once playfully measured with a ruler. It’s the thing his late father—who passed from a sudden heart condition last year—used to pat proudly and say, “That’s my boy.”
So no, she wasn’t going to cut it off.
Instead, Monique did what any determined mother does: she started asking questions. She researched state education codes. She connected with other parents facing the same struggle. She even found an attorney who helped her understand her son’s rights under the CROWN Act—a growing piece of legislation that protects against hair discrimination in schools and workplaces.
When she posted her story on a local Facebook group, she expected maybe a few supportive comments.
Instead, it exploded.
Moms she’d never met offered recommendations for inclusive schools. A retired teacher dropped off a box of children’s books celebrating natural Black hair. And a school director 30 miles away reached out with a simple message: “He’s welcome here. Exactly as he is.”
Last month, Jalen enrolled.
