Despite the fact that we all have mixed memories of school, we can all relate to the rules. This is a tumultuous moment of highs and lows.
While some rules, like the one against wearing jewelry to athletic events, make sense, it seems unnecessary to send someone home because they brought a certain soda or because they are wearing too much makeup. It also misses teaching opportunities for the kids involved.
The strict dress codes enforced by schools often clash with the times in children’s lives when they want to be different and express who they are.
For one mother and her child, these rules might have been excessive, and they might have kept an 8-year-old boy from getting an excellent education.
Farouk James of London, England, attracts the attention of model scouts due to his amazing hairstyle. He is currently working as a child model and has completed photo shoots in Italy and New York.
But his appearance has only made things difficult for him in the classroom; multiple institutions have rejected him due to the length of his hair.
Bonnie Miller, James’s mother, says she was told when her older brother was in school that his hair was too short.
Bonnie claims that Farouk’s father is from Ghana and that, in accordance with traditional traditions, his parents waited until he was three years old to cut his hair.
“At that point, he was attached— and so was I, to be honest— with his beautiful hair,” Bonnie stated to CBS News. “We kept the hair only.”
The family lives in the UK, where most schools have a policy against guys wearing long hair, even if girls are allowed to.
Bonnie claims that cutting a child’s hair violates their human rights.
“I will not give up trying to persuade governments to put legislation in place to protect children from these outdated, punishing rules,” his mother Bonnie wrote in an Instagram post.
“Despite the fact that Farok has done nothing wrong, you reject him! He will have to say farewell to his buddies when they are all accepted into the universities he so desperately wants to attend.
Because of this, Bonnie even started a Change.org petition to make hair discrimination illegal in the UK.
“We’re assembling a real team and dubbed it the Mane Generation,” Bonnie said. “We are going to fight this until these rules are changed. It also spreads over the entire world, not only the United Kingdom.
Farouk’s mother has an Instagram account that boasts over a quarter of a million followers, showcasing his lively nature and role as a child model.
They still get hate mail, though, despite all the love and support he gets online. Bonnie stated she received a lot of negative comments after discussing the family’s search for a school that will welcome Farouk and his hair on the well-known U.K. TV morning show “This Morning.”
“This is mental health week, so I’m surprised to be receiving lots of negative comments about Farouk’s hair,” Bonnie said in May of last year.
“Farouk refuses to cut his hair to appease people; it is a God-given feature of him, and he does not keep it long at my request.”
Bonnie argues that the clothing regulations for boys and girls in schools are outdated and often discriminatory because many schools prohibit braids and dreadlocks.
The mother vows that she will never give up on gaining acceptance for Farouk, his hair, and all the other children who encounter discrimination because they want to display their cultural heritage and identity.
In 2022, it will not be acceptable for people in charge of our children’s education to turn away a student because of the color of their hair. Farouk’s hair is an essential component of who he is. These rules should be prohibited.
Celine Dion Faces ‘Unimaginable’ Medical Crisis: New Documentary Reveals All!
Celine Dion is giving fans an honest look at her life with stiff person syndrome.
In a new documentary, the famous singer experiences a scary medical crisis during a physical therapy session, and it’s all caught on camera.
In 2022, Dion revealed she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome. In the documentary, “I Am: Celine Dion,” she shares that she had been dealing with symptoms of this rare, progressive neurological disorder for 17 years.
“I need my instrument. And my instrument was not working. So we started to elevate the medicine,” Dion, 56, said after struggling to hit certain notes during her 2018 and 2019 tours.
Though she completed her 2018 tour, Dion had to postpone several dates from her 2019 tour due to the “common cold” before the pandemic shut it down.
Her tour resumed in 2022, but she had to keep canceling and rescheduling shows. It wasn’t until she announced her diagnosis that she officially canceled the rest of her appearances.
“I can’t lie anymore,” Dion says in the documentary. “From a sinus infection to an ear infection to whatever. Sometimes I would point my microphone toward the audience, and I would make them sing it. There are moments where I cheated and I tapped on the microphone like it was the microphone’s fault.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 05: Celine Dion performs live at Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time Hyde Park at Hyde Park on July 05, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Redferns)
In the documentary, there’s a part where Dion shows a very personal moment. She’s lying on a massage table doing exercises for her physical therapy when her foot suddenly starts to cramp. Soon after, her whole body tightens up and she can’t move or talk to the people around her.
The camera keeps recording as another person from her medical team rushes in with a nasal spray called benzodiazepine. They give it to Dion, who’s in so much pain that she’s crying, even though she can’t move. It’s really hard to watch this part of the video.
Once the spasms have subsided – they typically last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour – Dion is able to sit up and speak.
“Every time something like this happens, it makes me feel so embarrassed,” she says. “I don’t know how to express it, you know, to not have control over yourself.”
Her physical therapist speculates the attack was brought on by being “overstimulated” from an earlier singing session.
“If I can’t get stimulated by what I love, then I’m going to go on stage, and you’re going to put the pulse oximeter on me and turn me on my back?” she wonders.
Dion hopes that one day soon she’ll be able to return to the stage.
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