Zulaikha Patel
Fighting against racism
About
Zulaikha Patel is a South African antiracism and social justice activist. At 13 years old, she bravely challenged racist hair and language policies at Pretoria High School for Girls. Like many others in the country, her school restricted Black African pupils from wearing their hair naturally, as afros and dreadlocks, as well as restricting the use of indigenous African languages. Zulaikha organized peaceful protests against these discriminatory regulations, sparking a nationwide movement that led to the repeal of these unjust laws.
Work
In 2021, Zulaikha Patel wrote ‘My Coily Crowny Hair’, a children’s book that aims to ensure black children feel pride rather than shame about their hair. One year later, she founded Dare to Change, a non-profit organization dedicated to children's literacy. The organization provides access to books for children in disadvantaged rural and township communities across South Africa. To date, reading corners have been built in 4 underprivileged schools nationwide, reaching 8,000 children.