A two-year battle over a Jamaican school's loc ban has come to an end, with the country's Supreme Court ruling that Kensington Primary School had every right to demand a 5-year-old to cut her hair in order to attend, according to The Jamaica Gleaner. 

The Kingston-based school originally demanded the girl cut her hair for "hygiene" reasons, but her parents refused. The ruling is part of longstanding issues the country has with the Rastafarian community.

“A child was refused because of her Black hair, you know? It’s so weird that right now in the current climate of the world, in 2020, we are having protests, and Black people are fed up," Dale Virgo, the now 7-year-old's father, said in an interview with The Washington Post.

“This is an opportunity the Jamaican government and the legal system had to right these wrongs and lead the world and make a change but they have decided to keep the same system,” Virgo added.

Dale and Sherine Virgo have remained steadfast in their refusal to cut their young daughter's hair, and through their lawyer, Isat Buchanan, the couple said they plan to appeal the decision.

“I will not be cutting my daughter’s hair. If they give me that ultimatum again, I will be moving her,” Sherine told the newspaper after the ruling. 

While the Virgos themselves are not Rastafarians, their entire family has always had locs, and they said they plan to continue the tradition with their own children.

Buchanan said he was "more than surprised" about the court's decision and called it "a most unfortunate day for Black people and for Rastafarian people in Jamaica.”

The country's lower court had approved an injunction against the Ministry of Education, which allowed the 7-year-old to attend school until the coronavirus pandemic hit. 

The Post notes that although Rastafarianism is a very small religion that just 2% of the island practices, it has had an outsized influence on the country's image due to the global popularity of singer Bob Marley. 

The Post explained that despite the popularization of the hairstyle worldwide, those with locs face widespread discrimination in Jamaican society, and many schools like Kensington have bans on the hairstyle. 

Historically, there is a long legacy of discrimination and violence against Rastafarians, including the 1963 Coral Gardens Massacre.

There was also the added irony that the decision came down the day before Emancipation Day, the holiday celebrating Jamaica's independence from the United Kingdom. 

The response online from Jamaicans was harsh, with many criticizing the government for marketing the country by using Marley and Rastafarianism yet discriminating against everyday people who follow the same traditions. 

In an interview with The Gleaner, Sherine said that her child is currently being homeschooled because of the pandemic but that she will never agree to cut her hair. 

“I will not be cutting her hair. That was never an option on the table. As it is right now, it seems that everything is going the homeschool direction anyways. The most I can do as a Jamaican, as a mother, is to continue to instill good values in my child and continue to encourage her and continue to let her know that she is beautiful regardless,” Sherine told the newspaper.

“I will not be putting any creamy crack in her hair. Her hair will continue to stay the same,” she added.

Hair-DiscriminationjamaicaKensington-Primary-SchoolRastafarianSherine-Virgo