Virginia Women fired for hair style

[monniej]

i was just watching out in the open on cnn. the story featured two women of color that were fired from the Virginia prison system for wearing short dreads and braids. one women even worked in the white house for 8 years and didn't have a problem. they are suing to get their jobs back. the reason they were fired was because their hairstyles were considered "extreme". it kind of surprises me because i have been very excited about what i considered to be the acceptance of women of color being able to wear their hair the way it grows out of their heads. that got me to thinking about what we think about what is acceptable in the workplace and what some might think about the way i wear my hair. i guess this is a mini rant, but also a need to know what others think is acceptable when it comes to natural hair. please feel free to post your thoughts.

thanks,

monniej

 

[Aquilah]

CRAZY! That's absolutely insane! I wonder if they'd have been fired if their hair was pink, blue or green?! If you worked in the damned White House with your hair like that, then what in the f*ck makes the damned prison system think it's not okay?! Give me a damned break! Who sees them all day anyway? PRISONERS! Like they're any more impressionable than they are to be in there! WTF!

 

[MACmaniac]

I agree w/ Aquilah! What a shame, that these women were punished for wearing a natural hairstyle! My boy Marcus Garvey said it best "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." AND "Do not remove the kinks from your hair--remove them from your brain."

 

[monniej]

Originally Posted by Aquilah /img/forum/go_quote.gif CRAZY! That's absolutely insane! I wonder if they'd have been fired if their hair was pink, blue or green?! If you worked in the damned White House with your hair like that, then what in the f*ck makes the damned prison system think it's not okay?! Give me a damned break! Who sees them all day anyway? PRISONERS! Like they're any more impressionable than they are to be in there! WTF! my thoughts exactly! also, don't you think that they shoud give these women some idea of what styles they can wear? i'd be very interested in what they consider "acceptable"!

 

[tdb7297]

Its ridiculous the things women of color have to go through just to make it. They are complaining about their hair?!!!!! If it is clean and doesn't hinder their job, who cares if it is in braids or not.

 

[Nox]

Ridiculous! And one of the women went so far and offered to cut off her hair or wear a wig, and that still wasn't accepted. Reading things like this makes me shake my head. I'm glad this is getting media attention. I'm sure she is not the only one going through crap like this.

 

[Retro-Violet]

oh my god i saw this today on msnbc, they talked to the two ladies and all i was thinking was i dont see anything wrong or "extreme" about theyre hair.

 

[SqueeKee]

That is so crazy. I hope they win their lawsuit!

 

[AngelaGM]

I work in the Casino Industry and "extreme" hairstyles are not allowed. And no unnatural hair colors. But we do not enforce this policy.

 

[SqueeKee]

But what is defined as extreme?

 

[glamadelic]

that's the dumbest thing i've ever heard.

 

[enyadoresme]

i agree that it's wrong but i highly doubt any of this will change

 

[ivette]

Originally Posted by Aquilah /img/forum/go_quote.gif CRAZY! That's absolutely insane! I wonder if they'd have been fired if their hair was pink, blue or green?! If you worked in the damned White House with your hair like that, then what in the f*ck makes the damned prison system think it's not okay?! Give me a damned break! Who sees them all day anyway? PRISONERS! Like they're any more impressionable than they are to be in there! WTF!

 

[ucf1484]

thats the stupidest thing i ve ever heard

 

[NatalieRose]

"Ridiculous! And one of the women went so far and offered to cut off her hair or wear a wig, and that still wasn't accepted."

yeah! their supervisor said it would 'defeat the purpose.' defeat the purpose of what? firing them? racist jerk.

 

[justdragmedown]

this is sad. I see people with green hair working at McDonalds....

 

[GlitzNGlam]

Getting fired for natural hair style? That's certainly not right!

 

[Aprill]

wow, I also read somewhere that an editor from Glamour magazine is being sued or fired, because she made an article saying that African American women that wear natural hairstyles (afro etc) is unacceptable in the work place. Just a sign of the times.....

 

[monniej]

Originally Posted by Aprill849 /img/forum/go_quote.gif wow, I also read somewhere that an editor from Glamour magazine is being sued or fired, because she made an article saying that African American women that wear natural hairstyles (afro etc) is unacceptable in the work place. Just a sign of the times..... i think that's what scares me the most! i was hoping that maybe it was just an education thing. like, most of my non black friends didn't know what a pressing comb was. heck, i didn't even know what bed head was until my friend came to work without washing her hair! i would love to believe that what appears to be intolerance is actually just being uninformed. am i just being naive?

 

[farris2]

How stupid! I hope they win!