A swanky salon on Manhattan’s Upper East Side has been penalized under the city’s hair discrimination legal guidelines, New York City’s Human Rights Commission announced last week. Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger salon is the first business in New York City to face the consequences of discriminating against Black…
Tag: Black Hair
Aveda Charges Black Woman with Natural Hair a ‘Texture Fee’
Khalisa Rae Thompson had been a customer at multiple Aveda Salons for 15 years. A routine visit to an Aveda in Raleigh, N.C., would turn her otherwise good experiences with the chain into an eye-opening lesson on hair discrimination against Black women, according to ESSENCE. Thompson said she had previously…
A Decatur Elementary School Criticized Over Natural Hairstyle Discrimination, School District Distances Itself from School Policy
Narvie Harris Elementary School in Decatur, Ga., faced backlash regarding its discriminatory school policy regarding acceptable natural hairstyles worn by its students. Administrators at the school created and displayed a poster of what they deemed “appropriate” and “inappropriate” hairstyles for class. The advertisement solely featured Black children. Related Story: CROWN…
State Senator Holly Mitchell Aims to Make it Illegal for Employers to Discriminate Against Blacks with Natural Hair
Mitchell, who wears locs, introduces “Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair” bill, The CROWN Act. Senator Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles wears locs, and, like many Black women, faced white colleagues’ confusion around it. “I decided to loc at 40,” Mitchell said in an interview. “I was…
School Rejects Black Child for His Dreadlocks, Calls Police on His Dad: #GrowingUpWhileBlack
C.J. Stanley Sr. took his six-year-old son to A Book Christian Academy in Apopka, Fla., for his first day at school, but C.J. Jr. was turned away because of his dreadlocks. The school had a policy on no long hair for boys, and the fact that C.J. offered to put…
Lena Waithe Explains Why She Decided to Cut Off Her Locs
For many Black women, hair is tied to identity. Award-winning screenwriter and actress Lena Waithe said queer stereotypes prevented her from cutting her hair, until now. “I felt like I was holding onto a piece of femininity that would make the world feel comfortable with who I am,” Waithe said…
Freedom to Wear Natural Hair at Work Benefits Employee and Company
Rah Thomas made a decision early on in his corporate career to work at a company that would not only accept his dreadlocks but would encourage him to wear the hairstyle. Thomas, 37, a managing director in Accenture’s Infrastructure Operations practice and co-lead of the African American employee resource group,…
Amandla Stenberg Passed on 'Black Panther' Role to Make Room for Darker-Skinned Actors
Amandla Stenberg, 19, best known for her role in “The Hunger Games,” explained in a recent conversation at the TIFF Next Wave Festival in Toronto why she walked away from the audition process for Ryan Coogler’s box office smash, “Black Panther.” “One of the most challenging things for me to…
Black Entrepreneur Buys Essence to 'Return Ownership by the People It Serves'
Banana Republic Manager Who Told Black Employee to Remove Braids Fired
A white Banana Republic manager who informed Black employee Destiny Thompkins that her box braids hairstyle is too”urban” and”unkempt” for the clothing store and wouldn’t schedule the 19-year-old for shifts unless she removed them is now out of a job. The incident took place Wednesday at a Banana Republic store…