After the story of a young black girl being denied photographs on picture day went viral back in October, a Chicago photographer stepped up with an even better alternative.
What We Know:
- Marian Scott, a third grader at Paragon Charter Academy in Michigan was denied photographs on picture day due to the streaks of red in her hair. According to WILX-TV, the school says the red streaks violated a school policy.
- Marian’s father, Doug Scott was outraged. He felt that the school handled the situation improperly. They did not contact the parents. With tears in her eyes and feeling singled out, Marian was sent to the hallway to wait as the others had photos taken. Marian was scheduled to take photos on the schools “retake” day, but Chicago photographer Jermaine Horton had a big surprise for her.
- Horton drove from Chicago to Michigan to do a special session for Marian. As a parent, he says he was furious and could only think about what the impact of being denied over her hair would do to such a beautiful little girl.
- Marian crushed her photo shoot, her confidence oozed through the captured images. Horton says he asked Marian to express how she felt, she screamed at the light above “I got this!” In a post on his business page, Horton says “I’m so blessed to have been apart of this to give her an amazing day that showed her that she truly is beautiful and her hair color was the BOMB! Of course we kept it for the shoot!”
- Marian’s dad said that at first, his daughter was a bit camera-shy, but came out of her shell once they started playing Ariana Grande songs in the studio. “The other day she told her mom that she wants to be a model,” he told Today Parents.
Scott and wife LaToya Howard pulled Marian out of Paragon Charter Academy, and she now attends public school, where she’s able to wear her red hair with pride.
