Hi,
I am unsure if I am posting this in the right section (if not please advise me where to post this), but I recently saw this story circulating and wanted to get some feedback on it from people on this forum as it obviously affects many of us. This link below has more details:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/appeals-court-rules-dreadlocks-work_us_57e0252ae4b0071a6e08a7c3
But essentially there was a ruling done by the US court of appeals that now says that Title IX is no longer a defense for those of us like myself who wear dreads for spiritual reasons. I sincerely hope that some good soul starts a petition or something of that nature to fight this because it is beyond offensive that many people who wear their dreads for reasons other than fashion will be turned down for jobs and now have pretty much no defense, as title IX has been stepped on.
“We recognize that the distinction between immutable and mutable characteristics of race can sometimes be a fine (and difficult) one, but it is a line that courts have drawn,” U.S. Circuit Judge Adalberto Jordan wrote for the most recent ruling . “So, for example, discrimination on the basis of black hair texture (an immutable characteristic) is prohibited by Title VII, while adverse action on the basis of black hairstyle (a mutable choice) is not.”
" The commission filed a lawsuit on Jones’ behalf in 2013, stating that withdrawing her contract based on her hairstyle is racial discrimination because “dreadlocks are a manner of wearing the hair that is physiologically and culturally associated with people of African descent.” The EEOC argued that race is a social construct not solely defined by traits that can’t be changed. It also asserted that the “hairstyle can be a determinant of racial identity.”
So I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this.
Brightest Blessings!
updated by @ravens-light: 03/24/23 04:17:01AM