Kanaan VyShonne Barton says he’s following all other school rules but shouldn’t have to cut his hair: ‘My locs represent strength’
A Black student at a Mormon university in Hawaii said he has been told by staff to cut his shoulder-length hair because it does not adhere to school policies, he said.
Kanaan VyShonne Barton, a student at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, told the Salt Lake Tribune he has been engaged in a battle with the school since September over the length of his hair, which he has refused to cut.
The university requires students to follow an “honor code”, which states hair should be “neatly trimmed”, although the code has no official guidance on length.
They settled in a town called Laie on Oahu and built a BYU campus there. Right next to the university they set up a massive tourist attraction called the Polynesian Cultural Center. They have five mock villages set up, each representing one Polynesian cultural group. They put on demonstrations and performances. There is also a big show in the evening with dancing. The whole spectacle is run by Polynesian students from one of the cultures who are receiving a free education from BYU in exchange for staffing the PCC. The PCC also poses as a recruiting operation for the Mormon church as they try to “lure” tourists to the temple to learn more about Mormonism as part of the villages tour.
The whole situation is very bizarre and while it is cool that the students are getting an education, they are working really hard for it. It’s possibly a bit predatory in that way and all wreaks a bit of cultural appropriation.
I had no idea the center was run by Mormons prior to visiting. While walking around, one of them approached us with a pamphlet and tried to get us to board a bus so they could take us to their temple. I was like, “Let me get this straight. You, a perfect stranger, would like me and my girlfriend to get in your bus, so that you can take us to some unknown location that we’re not familiar with? No thanks.” My mind was a little blown by that. It is a super touristy place though, so I wonder how many people they actually convince to go see their church. Like an attraction or something.