Black Hair Discrimination in the Workplace

Although federal law prohibits discrimination based on age, race, gender, and religion to prevent hostile work environments, the problems of workplace discrimination still persist. Because there are no laws set in place that addressed discrimination based off hairstyles this oversight heavily affects the black community. Sadly, some hair and hairstyles may cause unwanted attention within the workplace such as certain haircuts and dyes causing some distraction. There are specific company policies set in place that single out certain black hairstyles that ultimately cause discrimination of black individuals within the workplace.

Anti-discrimination laws have a hard time translating back into corporate policy and certain workspaces. When it comes to workplace discrimination it is clear that the policies racist innuendos are never overt but come from subtlety such as in policies that call out certain hairstyles. This leaves black workers as targets for their ethnic hairstyles. Because there are a lack of laws on hairstyles in general companies are free to create their own policies regarding hair.

These laws on hairstyle are never race specific but the implications of race remain. Of course, there are reasons for certain policies regarding hair set in place but some seem to specifically address black hair in its many forms. Afros, braids, and dreadlocks are the hairstyles of choice for many black people for it either is, or protects, their hairs natural state of being. When these hairstyles don't coincide with company codes and policies problems begin to ensue. And this creates further plight for the black worker and leaves them susceptible to complete denial or harassment from the workplace.

Big theme park companies such as Six Flags and Disney specifically addresses that dreadlocks are not allowed, and the state of your braids are also heavily controlled by company policy. These policies are said to be put in place to not take away from the “theming” of these parks but only seem to target the state of black hair. There are multiple cases of black employees having to cut and restyle their hair while being threatened with termination if not complied. The idea of conforming to the hairstyle policies is rooted in conforming to a white standard of professionally acceptable hairstyles. This, in retrospect, makes the cultural appropriation of these hairstyles from others even more disparaging because we as black people are being denied opportunities in the workplace due to our hair not coincide with corporate policy.

With more and more black people joining the natural hair movement and attempting to not conform to societies eurocentric ideas of beauty there comes some change from that. Society has deemed natural hair as unkempt, unprofessional, radical, and extreme even though it simply is our hairs natural state of being. These misconceptions of black hair are contributing to the discriminatory practices and policies against black hair in the workplace. But with the natural hair movement going strong this form of discriminatory policies are slowly being acknowledged and reconciled. New York just recently passed a law for everyone, that specifically address the issue of black natural hairstyles in the workplace. As the New Yorker notes: “The New York City's human rights commission specifically asserts the right of people to have “natural hair, treated or untreated hairstyles such as locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, fades, Afros, and/or the right to keep hair in an uncut or untrimmed state”” (Wagner, New Yorker). This is an important step in correcting these oversights in discriminatory practices and policies by corporations. But there is a need for not only a switch in mentality when it comes to black hair but a global shift in the policy set in place to destigmatize black hairs natural state of being in the workplace as being seen as professional.

MLA Citation:

Stowe, Stacey. “New York City to Ban Discrimination Based on Hair.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/18/style/hair-discrimination-new-york-city.html.

The Washington Post, WP Company, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/16/AR2006061601801_pf.html.

TheGrio. “Black Hairstyles: Do Women with Natural Hair Still Face Employment Discrimination?” TheGrio, TheGrio, 12 July 2012, thegrio.com/2012/07/12/black-hairstyles-do-women-with-natural-hair-still-face-employment-discrimination/#s:india-arie-natural-hair-dreadlocks-16x9.