Why Are School Uniforms Unjust?

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“Cultural racism— the cultural images and messages that affirm the assumed superiority of Whites and the assumed inferiority of people of color – is like smog in the air. Sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in.” – Beverly Tatum. The fact that school uniforms are disproportionately utilized in low income communities is a seamless example of a less apparent form of cultural racism and perpetuates systematic oppression. This is evidenced by the responses that surface when this disparity is questioned, such as arguments of safety and discipline. I will argue, drawing on Young’s Justice and the Politics of Difference, that school uniforms are unjust. I will …show more content…
They are predominantly used in private schools and low-income communities. However, they are most commonly employed in communities with high rates of poverty. “In fact, 47% of high-poverty public schools reported requiring school uniforms, compared to 6% of low poverty, public schools” (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). Students forced to wear school uniforms in high poverty, public schools are victims of systematic group violence. “The oppression of violence consists not only in direct victimization, but in the daily knowledge shared by all members of oppressed groups that they are liable to violation, solely on account of their group identity. Just living under such a threat of attack on oneself or family or friends deprives the oppressed of freedom and dignity, and needlessly expends their energy” (Young, 1990, p.62). Students in high poverty schools are not oblivious to the fact that their more affluent peers do not wear uniforms in the same capacity as they do. This sends a message that there is something wrong with their group identity since they are not afforded the freedom to dress themselves in the manner in which they see fit. Additionally, students are keenly aware of the consequences they will receive if they violate strict uniform policies. Uniform wearing students in high poverty areas are living with the understanding that they can be punished for attempting to or even accidentally, being an individual. This alone is devaluing their self-worth and is unjust since the justification for school uniforms in high poverty areas is often linked to
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