Du-rags are a big issue in Carbondale Community High School. Students are told to take du-rags off everyday, but the issue about du-rags are unknown. A du-rag not only is meant for preserving the brushing but through consistent wearing, gives the effect of “waves” wherein your hair creates a radial effect from the crown. Du-rags can be worn with cornrows too, keeping them friction and frizz free. So at its core, a du-rag is a hair maintenance device that had early beginnings in women’s hair wraps.

One reason du-rags should be allowed in school is because it shows black history. Du-rags were originally founded as the headgear of poor African American women laborers and slaves in the 19th century. In the 1930s, during the Harlem Renaissance and Great Depression, the du-rag evolved into a hairstyle preserver.

Another reason du-rags should be allowed in school is because it promotes fashion. Fashion is a constant presence in a person’s life. It is a daily task of choosing what clothing to put on your body for the day, and it is not only used to protect modesty, but it is used for self expression. After the Black Power Movement in the late 1960s, the du-rag became a fashion statement among African Americans, worn by rappers, athletes and men of all ages. In the 2000s, wearing du-rags in public lost popularity in certain areas but maintained its popularity in others. However, because of rappers, such as A$AP Ferg, and the return of waves as a hairstyle, they have now regained their status as a fashion among the African American community.

Du-rags are not gang related, do not promote any danger, nor distract anyone. They are used to preserve hair, show history, and as a fashion statement. There should not be a ban on durags in Carbondale Community High School for these reasons.