This 4-Year-Old Boy Isnt Allowed At School Because Of His Long Hair

[HAB911]

31. True story

In 1972 I left the Army after a three year tour, one on the DMZ in Korea. I returned to my pre-Army life with a telecommunications central office manufacturing company, installing and testing equipment around the country. I was working in a small town in South Carolina for almost 6 months, and having just left the Army, had let my hair grow. My company did not have a dress code pertaining to hair, but the local telephone company did. Moustache could not extend beyond the corner of the mouth, hair could not touch the ear or collar, standard military code. My hair was starting to be out of compliance by this time. They told me I could not enter the building, which had a camera on the door with electronic lock, and if they didn’t like your looks, you were locked out. If locked out, I would lose my job, so I bought a short hair wig. Of course, all this did was piss them off.

Eventually, a strand of hair would fall out from under the wig and when it did they reported it to my boss and threats ensued. Having been a member of the ACLU since before I can remember, I wrote a letter to the state ACLU detailing my problem. They sent me a letter describing my legal position, and stating that about the only option was a civil rights suit. I gave the letter to the telephone company, and within a week, my boss and his boss flew into town and offered me my job in any state of my choosing. I chose Florida and finished my 45 year career with one fine company, IMO.

I learned later, that company was at the time under federal scrutiny for other civil rights violations for discriminatory hiring practices regarding African-Americans.


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