World Afro Day - a day to celebrate and educate about afro hair

Report by Robert Murphy

Tuesday 15 September marks World Afro Day, a day of celebration and education of afro hair.

It is a day to talk about the prejudice and discrimination against afro hair and raise awareness in the wider society.

This year marks the 4th World Afro Day, and one man from Cornwall says people are sometimes still as disrespectful towards him as they were when he was a teenager.

Karum Cooper said, "it's funnily enough, worse being an adult, especially in place like, you know, pubs, when people have had a drink and stuff.

"They think it's given them an automatic green card to come up and get a hand full of hair, or stoke it, or get their mates to go and get a picture or whatever.

"It's treating it as a novelty which is not nice at all.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Bristol, Peaches Goulding who has worn her hair in an afro since university, spoke about her experiences.

She said, "I've lived most of my life in the boardroom and going in the boardroom, first of all as a black person, changes the way that the conversation goes.

"It changes a lot of things. It improves things, it makes life more inclusive.

"I think going in the boardroom with an afro really stamped a little bit of presence on it.

"Not in a discriminatory way, but more in an engaging and an inclusive way and a realisation that, guess what, things can be done in lots of different ways and still be done well."

World Afro Day is supported by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human rights.

The founders of World Afro Day work with families, schools and authorities to tackle discrimination against Afro hair.

They carry out research, create events and produce resources to empower people with Afro hair and raise awareness in wider society.