Shreveport Company Settles Discrimination Lawsuit Over Black Employee’s Natural Hair

Shreveport, LA- A Shreveport-based drug and medical testing supply company has consented to pay $50,000 in settlement of a race discrimination lawsuit taken up by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This comes after allegations the company fired an employee because of the way she chose to wear her hair.

Details of the Lawsuit

American Screening LLC had been accused severally of firing a Black female employee because she began wearing her natural hair to work. The woman, according to the lawsuit, had previously worn a long, straight wig during her job interview and continued to do so for several months once hired. The company purportedly began expressing dissatisfaction when the employee chose to stop wearing the wig and adopted her natural hair instead.

Reports indicate that the company’s owner specifically directed a human resources manager to advise the employee about looking more professional. The owner complained particularly about this employee coming into work with what he referred to as “beautiful hair.” The employee then became a target of discrimination and was eventually fired when she continued to wear her hair in its natural state. The company subsequently hired a white worker to replace her.

Violation of Civil Rights Act of 1964

The action taken by American Screening LLC has been deemed as a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law forbids companies from firing employees or subjecting them to different employment terms due to their race. The EEOC had initially tried to settle the issue with the company but, due to lack of cooperation, the decision to file a lawsuit was made. The case has now been resolved following a consent decree.

Terms of the Consent Decree

The consent decree that resolved the suit calls for the company to enact policies prohibiting any form of discrimination based on race or any immutable characteristic of race, such as hair texture. The company is also expected to enact policies to prevent the discrimination of employees who choose to display their natural hair texture or those who style their hair to protect their natural hair or scalp.

Condemnation of Discrimination

EEOC’s Chair, Charlotte Burrows, condemned the way the employee was treated noting, “Just as an employer may not ask an employee to change or conceal their skin color, an employer may not ask an employee to change their natural hair texture.” Burrows further noted the adverse impact of such discrimination on Black workers’ employment opportunities even today.

Senior Trial Attorney at the EEOC, Elizabeth Owen, stated, “Professionalism standards rooted in prejudices associated with racial characteristics are unlawful. No one should be terminated or treated differently because of hair texture associated with their race, under the guise of what is supposedly professional or not.”

The $50,000 that the company has agreed to pay is intended to compensate the affected employee for the unjust treatment and these events serve as a reminder of the continuous fight against racial discrimination in workplaces.