Family calls for apology from school after boy, 11, faces gang questions over do-rag

The family of an 11-year-old Edmonton Catholic school student is calling for an apology after the boy was questioned about gang affiliation for wearing a do-rag.

Una Momolu says her son Emmell was racially profiled when school officials told the Grade 6 student to remove the do-rag on Sept. 12 at Christ the King school.

Community members are holding a gathering in support of black students at RJW Dick Mather Memorial Park on 105 Street on Thursday, at 6 p.m.

"He's 11 years old. Hair garment is part of our culture," Momolu said in an audio recording of a Sept. 23 meeting with Principal Phebe Switzer.

"For a police or ex-police officer to look at your 11-year-old boy and associate a piece of garment with gangs, it was very bothersome for me."

In the recording, Switzer is heard saying to Momolu, "There are children that age that are a part of gangs."

No caps policy

Lori Nagy, a spokesperson for the Edmonton Catholic School Division, said the student was asked to remove the do-rag because it contravenes school policy that states no caps, bandanas or hats are allowed in the school.

The gang reference, first mentioned to the student by retired Edmonton Police Service officer Rick Cole, who is a School Team Advisor for Youth (STAY) at the northeast Edmonton school, was made in fear that the child could be mistaken for a gang member in the community, Nagy said.

"The issue of race had no bearing on the actions taken and was NEVER part of the discussion," read a statement released by the school division.

'Blatant racialization'

But Farha Shariff, an assistant lecturer in the department of secondary education, educational policy studies at the University of Alberta, said the incident is an example of "blatant racialization" and institutional racism.

"The focus actually shifted from the fact that he violated a school rule and the focus became'do-rags equal gangs'. And so to me right away, that jumping to conclusions right away, it's stereotyping," Shariff said in an interview Wednesday on CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.

The close-fitting piece of cloth, traditionally worn by black men to hold a hairstyle in place, has long ends that are tied in the back.

It should not be considered a violation of a hat policy, which isusually put in place for security purposes, Shariff said.

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Police called

Following theheated meeting with Momolu, the principal put the school in lockdown mode and police were called.

"The responding officers described the parent's behaviour as extremely irate," police spokesperson Scott Pattison said in an email to CBC. "The parent could be heard yelling outside of the school, when officers arrived. Upon entering the school office, an officer also observed several school staff members in tears."

The school principal imposed a one-year ban on the mother from school grounds. Emmell has not been to school since.

The school's handling of the situation also played into a racial stereotype, Shariff said.

"It's a stereotype of the angry black woman. And so you have an angry black woman yelling and screaming, does that actually warrant a lockdown?

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"I've been in a grocery store, I've watched people yell and scream. You don't see the police being called in. So again, it goes back to this conversation of escalation:Why are we escalating things so quickly? It's because we have a person of colour that's involved."

Colin Aitchison, a spokesperson for Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, said "people feeling discriminated against based on their race is completely unacceptable.

"Minister LaGrange expects a full report from Edmonton Catholic Schools on this issue," he said.

Momolu and Emmell are scheduled to speak at the gathering Thursday night.

Organizers of the event are calling for an immediate apology to both the mother and son; the removal of the one-year ban on MomoluatChrist the King school; and for school officials to undergo training on the cultural importance of do-rags and the dangers of racial profiling.