Wearing a Natural Hairstyle? NYC and California Put Employers on Notice

A California legislator wants Black women to have the right to wear dreadlocks, braids, and other natural hairstyles to work without fear their employer will terminate them.

In an interview with DiversityInc, Holly Mitchell said, “I decided to loc at 40. I was the CEO of the organization, so I thought about it, but I knew quite frankly I was at the top of my game currently in my career, and that it was ‘safe’ for me to loc my hair.”

The Los Angeles lawmaker knows that the safety she enjoys often eludes other women and introduced a bill to increase protections in the California Fair Employment and House Act, making it illegal for employers to fire women who wear locs, braids, and other natural hairstyles.

Supreme Court Opts Out of Discussion

Black women around the country have expressed frustration with company policies that prohibit natural hairstyles. Last year The Supreme Court refused to hear a case involving a company that rescinded a job offer when the applicant refused to cut off her dreadlocks. The Court’s decision was viewed as a missed opportunity to address an issue that affects many Black Americans.

In February New York City released new guidelines about hairstyles in the workplace. Its Commission on Human Rights determined that targeting based on “hair or hairstyle at work, school, or public spaces” would be considered racial discrimination. The Commission also included a maximum fine of $250,000 for defendants found guilty of violating the guideline.

State Senator Mitchell’s legislation is backed by the CROWN Coalition which includes The National Urban League, the ACLU, Color of Change, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., The National Council of Negro Women and Black Women Organized for Political Action.