A black man is suing Iowa trucking company for alleged hair discrimination

A black man claims in a lawsuit that an Iowa trucking company fired him as a driver for not cutting his dreadlocks, the latest in a string of incidents across the country over a which activists called 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 did not immediately respond Monday to phone and email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Similar problems 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 expressed concern about an elementary school that forced an 8-year-old Native American boy to cut his hair after growing it for cultural reasons.

In Iowa, Harvey was hired as a flatbed truck driver in June. But a day after the orientation began, his instructor told him to report to human resources, where he was told his hair created a “safety issue” and he had to cut his locks or be fired, it said in process.

According to the lawsuit, Harvey said his hair was “important to his culture and spirituality” and offered to address the concerns by cutting his hair, styling it differently, wearing it in a hair wrap or buying a different hat.

But the lawsuit said the company told him the proposals were not acceptable. Fired, he was sent home on a bus in tears, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit said the policy was inconsistently enforced and a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Harvey said that in his short time at the company, he noticed several non-black workers and women who had long hair. Costul said he was even more upset when he learned online that TMC had previously fired another black man for the same reason.

Harvey is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and emotional distress.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

TOPICS
Iowa Truck Lawsuits