A Louisiana teenager who was tearfully sent home from school three years ago because she wore braided extensions took the national stage at the 55th Annual CMA Awards Wednesday to introduce a song inspired by her story.
Faith Fennidy was a sixth-grader at Christ the King School in Terrytown, La., when the incident happened. Fennidy, who is Black, was sent home in August 2018 because she wore braided extensions in her hair, a violation of the school’s hair policy.
A policy instituted earlier in that summer said that hair for girls had to be all their own. Extensions are additional hair that is added into the natural hair to allow for braiding and other styles.
The story inspired country singer Mickey Guyton to write the song "Love My Hair."
Wednesday night, Fennidy took the stage at the CMAs to introduce Guyton, Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards to perform the song.
"This next artist created this song to make sure girls like me feel seen and loved. And that’s how you turn something very painful into very positive," Fennidy said, according to The Tennessean.
Here are some of the lyrics:
"I used to think what God gave me wasn't fair
I'd braid it all just to hide the curls up there
I found my freedom when I learned not to care
Now I'm not scared to love who I am
I love my hair."
After the song, Fennidy joined the trio on stage for a hug to a standing ovation from the audience.
Previous reporting from WWL contributed to this report.