Supreme Court Decides to Not Hear Lawsuit From Woman Who Lost a Job Offer Over Locs Hairstyle
On May 16, the Supreme Court decided not to take on a case regarding a black woman who alleges that a job offer was revoked because of her locs. As Allure reports, eight years ago, Chastity Jones was offered a job in 2010 with Catastrophe Management Solutions in Alabama, according to court records. The offer was taken off of the table though after she refused to not wear her hair in locs. According to the lawsuit filed on her behalf by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), CMS maintained that the hairstyle wasn't in compliance with the company’s policy.
Chastity believes that how she was treated was an example of racial discrimination. Locs are closely intertwined with black culture, so it is safe to say that a job’s not wishing to accommodate the style is one that directly targets black people. It is also worth noting that beyond this instance, locs can have religious significance for some, meaning that employers can effectively have the ability to turn someone down based on their race or spiritual beliefs. Regardless, it is unlawful to not hire someone based on their race, and has been the case since the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964.
Yet in 2016, when a federal court decided that locs were not immutable, meaning that although locs have extreme cultural significance, they can be changed. Because they are not a permanent characteristic, it is currently not illegal to prohibit locs at work, and at schools.
That doesn’t mean the laws shouldn’t be changed. "A black natural hairstyle is not a relevant factor for determining whether a person is able to do a specific job," Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel at NAACP's Legal Defense Fund, said in a statement. “Chastity Jones’s case is at the heart of whether black people can compete in the workforce. We are disappointed that the Supreme Court has denied Ms. Jones the chance to intervene and further pursue the case, halting a critical opportunity to address employment discrimination.”
Controversy surrounding natural hairstyles hasn’t been limited to locs. Black women have bene targeted for wearing their hair in afros, unstraightened buns, and box braids. In February 2017, the Perception Institute published the results of a 2016 study concerning bias in the workplace from black women with natural hair. Sadly, the results confirmed what many black women already experienced on a personal level. As writer Minda Honey summed up in Teen Vogue, “natural hair can be a career liability.”
Thankfully, more and more people are fighting back for their right to wear their hair in any style they choose. Serena Williams made a powerful statement when she wore twists to the Royal Wedding, and the Duchess of Sussex’s mother, Doria Ragland, showed up to the same event wearing her hair in locs. Everyday places of employment should follow suit.
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