A Black man alleges in a lawsuit that an Iowa trucking company fired him as a driver because he wouldn’t cut off his dreadlocks, the latest in a series of incidents across the country over an issue activists have dubbed hair discrimination.
Drew Harvey, 26, of Crete, Illinois, accused Des Moines-based TMC Transportation of racism in the lawsuit filed last week in state court against the company and two of its employees. The company didn’t immediately respond Monday to phone and email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Similar issues have arisen in places like Texas, where a Black high school student was suspended because of his dreadlocks. And in Kansas, the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns over a grade school forcing an 8-year-old Native American boy to cut off his hair after he grew it out for cultural reasons.
In Iowa, Harvey was hired as a flatbed truck driver in June. But one day after beginning orientation, his instructor told him to report to human resources, where he was told his hair was creating a “safety issue” and that he needed to cut his deadlocks or be fired, the lawsuit said.
According to the lawsuit, Harvey said his hair was “important to his culture and spirituality” and he offered to address the concerns by trimming his hair, styling it differently, wearing it in a hair wrap or purchasing a different hard hat.
The suit said the policy was inconsistently enforced and a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Harvey said that during his short time with the company, he observed several non-Black male and female workers who had long hair. The suit said he was even more upset when he learned online that TMC previously fired another Black man for the same reason.
Harvey is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and emotional distress.
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a worker of any color or race should be able to wear his hair any way or style he wishes as long as it is safe for himself on the job hevis doing. isn’t that the big deal of AMERICA
My thought is that he mentioned a hard hat. If that job requires the use of PPE, the hard hat has to fit firmly and snuggly on the head. If this is not possible, it is possibly an OSHA violation, and that would probably put him in violation of both OSHA and company policy.
My feelings is cut them. My husband in construction had long hair. He is Native Amerucan. When they said it had to go because it could get caught on equipment he used. So he came home told me. He said after thinking about it I am cutting it. My culture will still be my culture and it won’t make in less native American. Plus this company has opportunities for me to learn and advance.
he doesn’t have to cut off any of himself to work!!!
He should’ve cut the hair to me dead Presidents(MONEY)mean more than Hair… I worked for a union trucking company for 16 years your hair had to be neatly trimmed mustache short and no beards… and you had to be clean-shaven unless you were on the road you could grow some stubble but depending on the terminal you went into you better have a clean face on your self… I put my 30 years in the Teamsters… I am retired I’ve got a beard semi long hair and a pension check is there every month on the first day!!!!!!
And if anyone likes to read a good book go on Google and look up.. Hallamore A True Story… There are three websites that you can go through and read what the book is about and what you were in for when you buy it comes in soft cover hardcover with lots of color photos it’s a truly amazing story!!!