One of the very first
ACLU of MAINE legal cases involved a high school student who was suspended from school
for having hair that was too long. A stern letter from the ACLU of MAINE was all it took
to get the student back in school. Justice
Louis Scolnik, one of the ACLU of MAINE’s founders, told me this story once so I
would not feel bad about going too long between haircuts.
But long hair is not
just a matter of fashion (or lack thereof)—sometimes how people wear there hair
is deeply connected to their religious identity. That is why I was so pleased
to read about the success our colleagues at
the ACLU of Texas in protecting the religious freedom of a five-year-old
American Indian, who was punished for violating a school rule forbidding him
from wearing his hair in a long braid, which is an expression of his religious
beliefs and heritage.
Defending freedom of
religion is one of our highest
priorities at the ACLU. We’ve had some successes here in Maine too. Watch
this space for information about some of our upcoming work. . .
.