Mel B Joins a Campaign Calling for a New UK Law to Bar Afro Hair Discrimination 

Mel B. (Reuters)
Mel B. (Reuters)
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Mel B Joins a Campaign Calling for a New UK Law to Bar Afro Hair Discrimination 

Mel B. (Reuters)
Mel B. (Reuters)

Former Spice Girl Mel B is among dozens of Black Britons urging Parliament to update the country’s equality laws and prohibit Afro hair discrimination.

In an open letter to lawmakers on Tuesday, campaigners including Mel B, singer Beverley Knight and lawmaker Paulette Hamilton called for the UK to introduce a law to recognize Afro hair as a protected characteristic.

“For too long, people with Afro hair have experienced unjust treatment in UK society and the current law is not direct enough to govern businesses, schools and the public to prevent serious harm,” read the open letter, released ahead of World Afro Day on Sunday.

“The omission of hair as a protected characteristic from the law has facilitated everyday discrimination and the normalization of Afro hair as inferior in every sphere of life,” it added.

Mel B wrote that her “big wild curly hair” drew unwanted attention for her as a child and later as a popstar.

“The very first video shoot I did as a Spice Girl for ‘Wannabe,’ the stylists took one look at my hair and told me it had to be straightened,” she said. “My big hair didn’t fit the pop star mold.”

She said she stood her ground and did not change her hair, and women still tell her how the 1990s music video inspired them to stop straightening their hair.

Racial discrimination based on hairstyles has been a topic of debate and lawsuits in the United States for some time. Earlier this year a trial took place in Texas involving a Black student who was suspended from his school for wearing twisted dreadlocks.

Texas and Michigan are among two dozen US states that recently introduced laws intended to bar employers and schools from penalizing people because of hairstyles including Afros, braids, dreadlocks, twists or Bantu knots.

In July, the US territory of Puerto Rico passed similar anti-discrimination legislation.



King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Joins IUCN Green List

The Green List provides crucial guidelines for conservation and involving stakeholders in sustainable development processes - SPA
The Green List provides crucial guidelines for conservation and involving stakeholders in sustainable development processes - SPA
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King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Joins IUCN Green List

The Green List provides crucial guidelines for conservation and involving stakeholders in sustainable development processes - SPA
The Green List provides crucial guidelines for conservation and involving stakeholders in sustainable development processes - SPA

The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has announced its inclusion in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List.
This recognition follows a comprehensive assessment of the reserve by IUCN experts, who evaluated the authority's environmental and developmental accomplishments, as well as its engagement with the community and preservation efforts, SPA reported.
Authority CEO Abdullah Al-Amer emphasized the significance of this milestone, stating: "Since its establishment, the authority has pursued strategies, development plans, and innovative initiatives to fulfill its core objectives. Through these endeavors, we have successfully met all the key criteria and indicators for joining the IUCN Green List."
Al-Amer attributed this to the support lent by the Saudi leadership and the guidance from Minister of Interior and Chairman of the authority Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz.
Inclusion in the Green List adds to the authority's local and global successes, including receiving the Biodiversity Certificate and designating five critical bird sites within the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve.
Al-Amer stressed that making it on the list is testimony to an effective reserve management and focus on natural resource growth; it now facilitates the growth of over 550 plant species.
The authority's initiatives include planting 2.4 million native tree and shrub seedlings, as well as four tons of local seeds like yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Artemisia, and Haloxylon.
Efforts have been made to restore 250,000 hectares of degraded habitats and relocate 1,235 wildlife species like Arabian oryx, sand gazelles, Arabian gazelles, and Arabian leopards in the reserve.
The authority's achievements are due to its strategic objectives; being on the Green List is a key milestone.
This authority is determined to manage protected areas through sustainable programs focused on environmental conservation, community engagement, and sustainable development, in line with international standards.