Man I just lost everything I was typing, ugh. Haven't been here in forever but came across this and had to weigh in. Word to whomever linked to title vii. I've been locked for 5.5 years this time around and I've been in quite a few corporate jobs, with this set and the last. Walmart actually tried to fire me until I threatened a lawsuit and then they were all apologies. I'm at McDonald's now and they tried to get on me at first but I shut it down real quick and now they're cool, they tried to tell me I had to wear a bun "so they don't get in the food" and I told them that my locs don't shed a fraction of what normal hair sheds but I gladly would as soon as every other female employee did the same instead of wearing ponytails... Now I rock a ponytail, what.
all you need is this line right here: my locs are symbolic of my spiritual commitment and faith, they are as clean as yours or anyone else's hair and under title vii you are not permitted to treat me differently or require me to present myself differently than any other employee. DONE.
You don't work with food or in a kitchen so they can't make you wear a hairnet, and if their policy doesn't require all long haired employees to tie their hair up then they can't legally make you do it - which is good because I can't think of any "religious" excuse for not using a hair tie lol. But in general you can really just tell them you are rasta, and there's no real way to disprove it unless you eat swine in front of them... Buuutttt even so, the law specifically says that religious beliefs must be respected and exceptions must be made EVEN IF you are not very devout and don't fully adhere to the religion. The fact is that they're a large corporation and they're not going to want the negatives that will inevitably come upon them if they try to dispute whether or not your beliefs are actually your beliefs.
I'm trying not to get too long-winded here cuz I do that a lot, but the important part is, please, DO NOT let them push you around and bully you into giving up your rights. Be assertive and firm and they'll realize quickly that you're not to be fucked with unless they want to risk a lawsuit, which they won't. McDonald's even told me that I couldn't have my purse and hoodie with red gold and green on them cuz they're "pot smoking colors" and could be offensive to customers, and after I told them that they're the colors of the Ethiopian flag and the symbol of my faith and I won't be discriminated against, they sent the DISTRICT MANAGER to my store to personally apologize to me!! Stand up for yourself and your locs and you WILL win!!
As a side note, I don't like to condone faking spirituality cuz I haaaaate that shit, but using it to defend your right to wear dreadlocks is different than pretending in your everyday life so anything for the sake of locs and freedom. BUT if you're going to have to fake it, I mean I don't know you or anything about you but the ras in me has to say that perhaps if you're at a point in your life where you might be looking for a spiritual path, please do some reading and reasoning on rasta as a lifestyle (cuz it is not religion, it is lifestyle and spirituality but NOT religion) and maybe you'll find that it is right for you. I might not eat 100% ital and I still have a disgusting nicotine addiction to kick, but rasta changed my entire life and every day I give thanks for the events that brought this path to light for me.
oook, I'll shut up now I promise. Good luck, fight for your right to dreadlock!!!!