Forfeiting identity: A black wrestler’s cut dreadlocks raise questions about rules and race
A white referee recently forced a black South Jersey high school wrestler to choose between cutting his dreadlocks or forfeiting a match. Why did this unfold this way?
Listen 14:01A white referee recently forced a black South Jersey high school wrestler to choose between cutting his dreadlocks or forfeiting a match 90 seconds before it started. The incident, which was captured on video, quickly sparked a public outcry and raised numerous questions: Why was a teenager forced to make this decision so quickly? Was the referee just following the rules? What message does a video of a young black man having his dreadlocks cut by a white adult convey? On this episode of The Why, WHYY reporter Darryl C. Murphy breaks down what we know and don’t know about this controversy.
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