In this paper, we review the current dress code violations that have made national news. These issues have spotlighted racist and sexist issues embedded within common K-12 dress codes. We also analyze all school dress codes within one county in a mid-western state to examine various racist and sexist issues. We end the paper with an assessment for readers to determine the levels of racism and sexism in their own K-12 district dress codes.

Although integrated education is not a panacea, diverse learning environments benefit all students, helping children to develop cross-cultural understanding, lessen bias and prejudice, and promote civic participation (George and Darling-Hammond 2019 para. 1) All our silences in the face of racist assault are acts of complicity-bell hooks 1 Brown v. Board (1954) Between 1939-1940, prior to the Brown decision, white teachers were paid approximately 80% more than their Black counterparts, particularly in segregated states (Beezer 1986). According to Beezer (1986), the "NAACP began its legal efforts to equalize the salaries of black and white teachers in those states that maintained segregated schools" (p. 201). Despite the inequalities of "separate but equal," Black students were, largely, educated in schools with teachers who understood their culture, believed in, cared about, and fought for their success, and served as role models and mentors, while being subjected to substandard facilities, materials, and resources. The Brown decision was an implicit reversal of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which upheld the constitutionality of segregation based upon race for public facilities, so long as "separate but equal" facilities were in place. Brown effectively found that Plessy's "separate but equal" doctrine within educational facilities was unconstitutional. The Brown decision argued that Black children were inherently harmed by segregation, and that their separation from white children contributed to low self-esteem that would follow them for their entire lives. According to Howie (1973), the Brown court argued for several "intangible" factors, such as the damage that educational segregation causes Black children: To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely to ever be undone. (Brown v. Board of Education 1954) Influential to the Brown decision was the Clarks' doll experiments of the 1940s. Kenneth (1914-2005) and Mamie (1917-1983) Clark were a married team of African American psychologists, active in the civil rights movement, and perhaps most famous for using dolls to assess children's feelings about race. As cited in the Brown decision:

Anti-Blackness is a critical issue. Recognizing instances of this concept will assist with creating an inclusive and safe school culture for all students. This article discusses racism, instances of microaggressions and racial spotlighting that some Students of Color of experience in their K-12 careers.

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