In Panama, the third Monday of May is celebrated as the Day of the Braids, established in 2012 after several schools banned entry to girls wearing their hair in that style, under the pretext that they were "exotic hairstyles". An activist explains that many hairstyles of African descent are not just aesthetic but serve to protect hair from water and sun. At the center of the dispute are the internal rules of schools, requiring compliance with certain hairstyle and uniform standards. The director of one school stated that the rules were signed by parents and have legal force. Meanwhile, some schools began to demand an "Afro-descendant certificate", which sparked accusations of veiled and structural racism. The Ministry of Education denied any involvement in this initiative, reminding of a directive that prohibits discrimination on ethnic or cultural grounds. However, as activists note, this problem is not new and reflects historical stereotypes that associate African hairstyles with disorder and untidiness.
