THE ROYAL Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has signed the Halo Code – the UK’s first black hair code.

The code aims to protect the rights of staff who come to work with natural hair and protective hairstyles associated with their racial, ethnic, and cultural identities.  

Both schools and businesses can sign up. In doing so, they promise that members of the black community have the “freedom and security to wear all afro-hairstyles without restriction or judgement”.

Marsha Ramroop, RIBA Director of Inclusion and Diversity said: “We are committed to nurturing a culture where our staff feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.

“Despite being a protected racial characteristic, hair discrimination remains a source of injustice and by signing the Halo Code, the RIBA is taking a stand for racial equity. I encourage our members and practices to join us in driving out all forms of discrimination, by adopting the Code too.” 

According to the Halo Collective, one in five black women felt societal pressure to straighten their hair for work.

By signing the code and embedding it into policy, RIBA claim they hope to make their workplace and industry more inclusive.

Currently, the architecture industry does not have adequate black representation. In July 2020, it was reported that just 1% of members who had shared their ethnicity with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) were black.

It is important to note that the board does not collect ethnicity data from all members, however at the time, it held data on 62% of architects on the register.

The Halo Code was developed by the Halo Collective, an alliance of organisations and individuals working to create a future without hair discrimination. It was founded by young black organisers from the Advocacy Academy.

The collective are also calling for the government to fix the Equality Act by ensuring it explicitly names black hair.

You can sign this petition or this petition to join the campaign.