So this is my KC. He is 14, well, nearly 15 now. A sweeter, kinder and more hardworking kid you would be hard pressed to find. Yes, I am his mom, but it is truly not blind parental love here. He has been working at a local grocery store since the fall. The store is the only employer in the area who will employ 14 year olds. Everything else is pretty much 16 or older, or only seasonal. At the store, he has consistantly worked 9 to 10 hours weekly.
See the hair? KC loves his hair. It is part of who he is. It is also against the dress code of the store. The handbook states that males can not have dyed hair. It is hard to see in the picture but KC's hair is tipped blond. Because of his "non traditional" hair color he has to wear a store ball cap when he works. He despises the ball cap.
Last week he decided to have the blond trimmed out of his hair. I was happy as it was kind of damaged from the bleaching and it is healthier for the hair to trim it out. But his impetus was so that he did not have to wear the ball cap when at work. Off he went to work, sans cap.
When I picked him up after his shift I could tell something was wrong. He said that his manager told him his hair was "too wild" and he still had to wear the ball cap. Let's be clear, there is no definition of "wild" or "tame" hair in the employee handbook. Let us also be clear that although I have seen a number of black employees in the store, they are typically female cashiers, not 14 year old male baggers.
I have worked since I was 14 too. I know companies have the right to decide how their brand is represented by their employees. My employer only allows female employees to have one ear piercing. I also believe that there is a significant level of inherant racial bias in the matter in question. However at present, the law appears to side with the employer. Witness this recent court ruling regarding dread locks. KC's hair is tall but was clean and neatly picked and shaped.
We talked all the way home about the situation. I was clear that I do believe it is unfair and that it may have inherant racial bias in the policy> He is justifiably hurt and angry, but also sees that in other aspects the company has been good to him and to other co-workers.(he gets hours consistantly, he is in other aspects treated politely, a co-worker friend who had an incident of sexual harrassment had it immediately and appropriately handled.) We spoke of how he basically had two options, he could keep his hair style and continue to wear the ball cap, or he could look on line for some more traditional styles that he might like and show them to a supervisor for approval before he committed to a change. He is deciding what course of action he wants to take. He gave me a big hug when we got home and said "I just hope my kids don't have to go through this too someday." Me too, son
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