ACLU investigates if university violated a Black Kansas cheerleader’s civil rights
The family of the Black Ottawa University cheerleader who was kicked off the squad is seeking legal help from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas.
Talyn Jefferson, 20, was removed from the squad last month after a heated encounter with her coach over her long braids. At her family’s request, the ACLU is now investigating but has not taken legal action yet.
“It sounds like she experienced a pretty difficult situation with her coach,” said Sharon Brett, interim legal director for the ACLU. “Hairstyles are a cultural and ethnic thing for many people, particularly for Black women. There is a racial stereotype that could be at play here.”
Brett said she expected to talk with Jefferson later this week for details about what was said and done to her.
“If she was treated differently in any way by the coach because of the color of her skin or because of her hairstyle, she may have a cause of action,” Brett said. “But we won’t know until we can talk to her.“
Jefferson, who is from Lawrence, told The Star that at practice Jan. 6, her coach wanted her to remove the hair bonnet covering her nearly 3-foot-long braids. Jefferson said she thought the braids might swing and hit another cheerleader while they were practicing. The coach made several comments that were racist microaggressions directed toward her, Jefferson said. The coach then cussed at her and kicked her out of practice.
Jefferson said she was later kicked off the team because she stood up for herself.
The university has not said why Jefferson was removed from the squad but has denied it had anything to do with her hairstyle.
“No student has ever been sanctioned or expelled for wearing box braids, bonnets, or any other hairstyle,” university officials said in an email statement to The Star.
Jefferson told The Star, “They claim I got kicked off because I defy authority and I have anger issues, but like I’ve said, that is not true. I have no type of misconduct issues at that school.”
Jefferson said she plans to transfer to a historically Black university in Houston in August.
The coach, Casey Jamerson, has since resigned from the university and filed a report with Ottawa Police saying that she was being harassed online over the incident. Police are investigating but have not filed any charges.
“The university recognizes that incidents of this nature can inflame passions, which can potentially lead to erroneous things being said or written,” university President Reggies Wenyika said in a statement to the campus community. “However the targeting personal attacks and false and misleading information currently being circulated on social media are unfortunate.”
