Zone1 16-year-old Chick-Fil-A worker sent home over ‘unnatural’ hair color

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

She's only 16 years old and she has already been impacted by the type of systemic racism that we've been describing. It's not being called the N-word, or having a cross burned on your lawn. That's overt racism and easily understood. But there are a multitude of microaggressions and subtle forms of racism that we as Black people endure throughout our lives. We don't have to go looking for it, it finds us since the damage of founding this country on the premise of white superiority is still engrained in many parts and many of the people of the U.S. today.

I remember we were discussing the issues that Black hair causes for some white racists and many of the posters here did not believe it or claimed we were exaggerating or playing the race card. You all don't see it because you don't experience it due to not being Black but it still persists.

I'm glad she filed a complaint with the EEOC. I hope they step up and do their job properly so that this young lady doesn't have to experience the second tier of racism - "justice denied".

By the way, I'm pretty sure by unnatural hair colors they were referring to the rainbow colors that celebrities such as Megan Rapino and Billie Ilish sport, pink and lime green.

HARRISBURG, N.C. (WJZY) — Sixteen-year-old Autumn Williams is still trying to understand how the blonde hair color in her braids was deemed unnatural at her Chick-Fil-A job.​

​

She says she felt singled out and embarrassed.​

​

She’d only been working at a Chick-Fil-A in Harrisburg, North Carolina, for three months before she was pulled aside for an apparent uniform violation. What she was told caught her caught off guard.​

​

“She was like, ‘Hey, one of our supervisors came by and said they noticed blonde in your hair, and he asked that you leave and come back when it’s taken out since it’s an unnatural color to you,'” Williams said.​

​

This is the color Williams says she had at the time:​

​

(Courtesy of Autumn Williams)© Provided by WNCN Raleigh​

“I don’t know what blonde is in my hair because my braids were brown, and there wasn’t blonde in them, (even though) my natural hair color is blonde,” Williams said. “And the guy, when I had orientation, he never said anything about my hair color or it being an issue.”​

​

She claims other coworkers also had unnatural hair colors, but she was singled out.​

​

When she asked her human resources supervisor for clarification about unnatural hair colors, he referred Williams to the employee handbook.​

​

But the handbook doesn’t specify what unnatural colors are.​

​

She says the lack of clarification led to her quitting.​

​

Chick-Fil-A responded to a request for comment, saying:​

​

“The operator reached out to (Autumn) Williams today and had a good conversation. ​

In further detail, the operator explained that the policy was misinterpreted and said Williams was not terminated and she’s more than welcome to come back and work at the restaurant.”​

Georgia prosecutor reports racist threats, abuse over Trump election investigation​

“I was glad that I didn’t have to change myself to fit into someone else’s … image of what it’s like to be a Chick-Fil-A worker,” Williams said. “…I was just glad that I was able to just stay true to myself and move on and find somewhere else to work that’s fine with how I look.”​

​

“It’s a protective style for us,” said her mother, Nina Burch. “There was nothing eccentric about the color that was in her hair. So I think maybe there needs to be some sensitivity training about what people can and cannot look like. But that just sounds so crazy to say because who’s to say what anybody can look like based on their race?”​

​

Since her decision to quit, Williams says she’s filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.​

MSN

 

[Thunk]

It hasta bee da dreds mon...she been smokin' da ganja

 

[MarathonMike]

She's only 16 years old and she has already been impacted by the type of systemic racism that we've been describing. It's not being called the N-word, or having a cross burned on your lawn. That's overt racism and easily understood. But there are a multitude of microaggressions and subtle forms of racism that we as Black people endure throughout our lives. We don't have to go looking for it, it finds us since the damage of founding this country on the premise of white superiority is still engrained in many parts and many of the people of the U.S. today.

I remember we were discussing the issues that Black hair causes for some white racists and many of the posters here did not believe it or claimed we were exaggerating or playing the race card. You all don't see it because you don't experience it due to not being Black but it still persists.

I'm glad she filed a complaint with the EEOC. I hope they step up and do their job properly so that this young lady doesn't have to experience the second tier of racism - "justice denied".

By the way, I'm pretty sure by unnatural hair colors they were referring to the rainbow colors that celebrities such as Megan Rapino and Billie Ilish sport, pink and lime green.

HARRISBURG, N.C. (WJZY) — Sixteen-year-old Autumn Williams is still trying to understand how the blonde hair color in her braids was deemed unnatural at her Chick-Fil-A job.​

​

She says she felt singled out and embarrassed.​

​

She’d only been working at a Chick-Fil-A in Harrisburg, North Carolina, for three months before she was pulled aside for an apparent uniform violation. What she was told caught her caught off guard.​

​

“She was like, ‘Hey, one of our supervisors came by and said they noticed blonde in your hair, and he asked that you leave and come back when it’s taken out since it’s an unnatural color to you,'” Williams said.​

​

This is the color Williams says she had at the time:​

​

(Courtesy of Autumn Williams)© Provided by WNCN Raleigh​

“I don’t know what blonde is in my hair because my braids were brown, and there wasn’t blonde in them, (even though) my natural hair color is blonde,” Williams said. “And the guy, when I had orientation, he never said anything about my hair color or it being an issue.”​

​

She claims other coworkers also had unnatural hair colors, but she was singled out.​

​

When she asked her human resources supervisor for clarification about unnatural hair colors, he referred Williams to the employee handbook.​

​

But the handbook doesn’t specify what unnatural colors are.​

​

She says the lack of clarification led to her quitting.​

​

Chick-Fil-A responded to a request for comment, saying:​

​

“The operator reached out to (Autumn) Williams today and had a good conversation. ​

In further detail, the operator explained that the policy was misinterpreted and said Williams was not terminated and she’s more than welcome to come back and work at the restaurant.”​

Georgia prosecutor reports racist threats, abuse over Trump election investigation​

“I was glad that I didn’t have to change myself to fit into someone else’s … image of what it’s like to be a Chick-Fil-A worker,” Williams said. “…I was just glad that I was able to just stay true to myself and move on and find somewhere else to work that’s fine with how I look.”​

​

“It’s a protective style for us,” said her mother, Nina Burch. “There was nothing eccentric about the color that was in her hair. So I think maybe there needs to be some sensitivity training about what people can and cannot look like. But that just sounds so crazy to say because who’s to say what anybody can look like based on their race?​

Since her decision to quit, Williams says she’s filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.​

MSN

She's cute and her hair is fine. Seems like there could be more to the story.

 

[Yarddog]

That sounds insane that anyone would fire her for that! if its true... it sure looks like racism, but according to the
article she wasnt even told directly from the supervisor... it looked like it was second hand from someone.

If thats true I would just be shocked, but then again I'm used to living in California where you can be anyway you want to be for the most part and no one bats an eye, but still, this seems so far out there, Id like to see some verification.
If you tell a black person they cant come to work because their hair is colored in any way but natural... thats just screaming for a law suit. There may be a chance some of the other employees were just F###g with her, but who knows.

 

[petro]

The chemicals in hair dye only increases the insanity.

 

[Dekster]

She's cute and her hair is fine. Seems like there could be more to the story.

Maybe, maybe not. Possible somebody read that to mean you can't dye your hair (or in this case wear threads) as opposed to You can't show up here with green and purple hair.

 

[theHawk]

Well they have their standards listed. If you don’t like it, don’t work there.

 

[MarathonMike]

Maybe, maybe not. Possible somebody read that to mean you can't dye your hair (or in this case wear threads) as opposed to You can't show up here with green and purple hair.

This story is standard issue trigger bait.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Well they have their standards listed. If you don’t like it, don’t work there.

Blond is not an unnatural color. Blue, purple, pink, orange, green, etc. those are unnatural colors.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

I figured I wouldn't have to spell this out but apparently I was wrong.

There are some people, mainly white racists, who believe Black people do not, can not, but more importantly, should not have blond hair (looking at you theHawk).

This thread is not "trigger bait", as alleged by MarathonMike thonMike, it is to add to the many ways that Black people are discriminated against in spite of such discrimination having been unlawful since 1964.

Meet The Dark-Skinned Melanesians With Natural Blond Hair

 

[IM2]

Anything detailing white racism is baiting to MarathonMike.

But he still uses the picture of that dead child while he spews his garbage.

 

[MarathonMike]

Apparently ONE SUPERVISOR at ONE Chic-Fil-A location misinterpreted the company rules and sent the young girl home (not fired). But the company clarified the company rules. The young lady says she is glad she could keep her hair color and be back at Chic-Fil-A. But this is how trigger bait works. You put out some random story that hints at Racism and it gets the Democrat base angry. Then you find out it was much ado about nothing. Not systemic racism. Not a crisis. But that is how our media operates, put out the trigger bait to generate views and anger amongst the base. Then comes the retraction and clarification. Same old same old.

16-year-old Chick-Fil-A worker sent home over ‘unnatural’ hair color

What she was told caught her off guard.

fox59.com

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Apparently ONE SUPERVISOR at ONE Chic-Fil-A location misinterpreted the company rules and sent the young girl home (not fired). But the company clarified the company rules. The young lady says she is glad she could keep her hair color and be back at Chic-Fil-A. But this is how trigger bait works. You put out some random story that hints at Racism and it gets the Democrat base angry. Then you find out it was much ado about nothing. Not systemic racism. Not a crisis. But that is how our media operates, put out the trigger bait to generate views and anger amongst the base. Then comes the retraction and clarification. Same old same old.

16-year-old Chick-Fil-A worker sent home over ‘unnatural’ hair color

What she was told caught her off guard.

fox59.com

I am so weary of having to explain this to people who are so friggin ignorant they are unable to comprehend things that have been explained to them over and over.

It doesn't matter if it was just ONE person at ONE Chic-Fil-A BECAUSE from what we know thus far, Ms. Williams was subjected to an "adverse employment action" due to her protected class status of her being African American. WE (Black people) know that the objection to her hair color is that in their own words, the color is unnatural "for her" meaning the person who sent her home believes blond is an unnatural color for a Black person.

What is an "adverse employment action"?

Race & Color Discrimination​

The laws enforced by EEOC prohibit an employer from treating you differently, or less favorably, because you or a friend, parent, or someone else you associate with is of a particular race or color.

Employers also may not treat you differently, or less favorably, because you have personal traits, such as hair texture, color or certain facial features, associated with a particular race.

All races, including Whites, Blacks, Asians, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and Native Alaskans, are protected from racial discrimination. Bi-racial and multi-racial individuals also are protected from discrimination on the basis of race.

The laws enforced by EEOC also protect you from being harassed at work by managers, co-workers, or others in your workplace because of your race or color.

Finally, the laws enforced by EEOC protect you from being punished or harassed at work because you or someone you closely associate with (for example, a relative or close friend) complains about race discrimination. We call this your right to be protected from retaliation.

If you would like more information after reading the frequently asked questions, see the EEOC's Race/Color Discrimination page

 

[rampart]

She's only 16 years old and she has already been impacted by the type of systemic racism that we've been describing. It's not being called the N-word, or having a cross burned on your lawn. That's overt racism and easily understood. But there are a multitude of microaggressions and subtle forms of racism that we as Black people endure throughout our lives. We don't have to go looking for it, it finds us since the damage of founding this country on the premise of white superiority is still engrained in many parts and many of the people of the U.S. today.

I remember we were discussing the issues that Black hair causes for some white racists and many of the posters here did not believe it or claimed we were exaggerating or playing the race card. You all don't see it because you don't experience it due to not being Black but it still persists.

I'm glad she filed a complaint with the EEOC. I hope they step up and do their job properly so that this young lady doesn't have to experience the second tier of racism - "justice denied".

By the way, I'm pretty sure by unnatural hair colors they were referring to the rainbow colors that celebrities such as Megan Rapino and Billie Ilish sport, pink and lime green.

HARRISBURG, N.C. (WJZY) — Sixteen-year-old Autumn Williams is still trying to understand how the blonde hair color in her braids was deemed unnatural at her Chick-Fil-A job.​

​

She says she felt singled out and embarrassed.​

​

She’d only been working at a Chick-Fil-A in Harrisburg, North Carolina, for three months before she was pulled aside for an apparent uniform violation. What she was told caught her caught off guard.​

​

“She was like, ‘Hey, one of our supervisors came by and said they noticed blonde in your hair, and he asked that you leave and come back when it’s taken out since it’s an unnatural color to you,'” Williams said.​

​

This is the color Williams says she had at the time:​

​

(Courtesy of Autumn Williams)© Provided by WNCN Raleigh​

“I don’t know what blonde is in my hair because my braids were brown, and there wasn’t blonde in them, (even though) my natural hair color is blonde,” Williams said. “And the guy, when I had orientation, he never said anything about my hair color or it being an issue.”​

​

She claims other coworkers also had unnatural hair colors, but she was singled out.​

​

When she asked her human resources supervisor for clarification about unnatural hair colors, he referred Williams to the employee handbook.​

​

But the handbook doesn’t specify what unnatural colors are.​

​

She says the lack of clarification led to her quitting.​

​

Chick-Fil-A responded to a request for comment, saying:​

​

“The operator reached out to (Autumn) Williams today and had a good conversation. ​

In further detail, the operator explained that the policy was misinterpreted and said Williams was not terminated and she’s more than welcome to come back and work at the restaurant.”​

Georgia prosecutor reports racist threats, abuse over Trump election investigation​

“I was glad that I didn’t have to change myself to fit into someone else’s … image of what it’s like to be a Chick-Fil-A worker,” Williams said. “…I was just glad that I was able to just stay true to myself and move on and find somewhere else to work that’s fine with how I look.”​

​

“It’s a protective style for us,” said her mother, Nina Burch. “There was nothing eccentric about the color that was in her hair. So I think maybe there needs to be some sensitivity training about what people can and cannot look like. But that just sounds so crazy to say because who’s to say what anybody can look like based on their race?”​

​

Since her decision to quit, Williams says she’s filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.​

MSN

she does need to wear a hairnet, i hope. i sure hate to pull the long curly ones outta my salad.

 

[krichton]

Supervisor needs to be fired or demoted. End of story.

 

[DudleySmith]

Apparently ONE SUPERVISOR at ONE Chic-Fil-A location misinterpreted the company rules and sent the young girl home (not fired). But the company clarified the company rules. The young lady says she is glad she could keep her hair color and be back at Chic-Fil-A. But this is how trigger bait works. You put out some random story that hints at Racism and it gets the Democrat base angry. Then you find out it was much ado about nothing. Not systemic racism. Not a crisis. But that is how our media operates, put out the trigger bait to generate views and anger amongst the base. Then comes the retraction and clarification. Same old same old.

16-year-old Chick-Fil-A worker sent home over ‘unnatural’ hair color

What she was told caught her off guard.

fox59.com

But then these race hustlers woudn't have any tragic stories to tell ; ginning up fake stories is how many of them sell their shtick and avoid getting real jobs.

 

[MarathonMike]

I am so weary of having to explain this to people who are so friggin ignorant they are unable to comprehend things that have been explained to them over and over.

It doesn't matter if it was just ONE person at ONE Chic-Fil-A BECAUSE from what we know thus far, Ms. Williams was subjected to an "adverse employment action" due to her protected class status of her being African American. WE (Black people) know that the objection to her hair color is that in their own words, the color is unnatural "for her" meaning the person who sent her home believes blond is an unnatural color for a Black person.

What is an "adverse employment action"?

Race & Color Discrimination​

The laws enforced by EEOC prohibit an employer from treating you differently, or less favorably, because you or a friend, parent, or someone else you associate with is of a particular race or color.

Employers also may not treat you differently, or less favorably, because you have personal traits, such as hair texture, color or certain facial features, associated with a particular race.

All races, including Whites, Blacks, Asians, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and Native Alaskans, are protected from racial discrimination. Bi-racial and multi-racial individuals also are protected from discrimination on the basis of race.

The laws enforced by EEOC also protect you from being harassed at work by managers, co-workers, or others in your workplace because of your race or color.

Finally, the laws enforced by EEOC protect you from being punished or harassed at work because you or someone you closely associate with (for example, a relative or close friend) complains about race discrimination. We call this your right to be protected from retaliation.

If you would like more information after reading the frequently asked questions, see the EEOC's Race/Color Discrimination page

You might want to think about WHY the media continuously pushes these trigger bait pieces and more importantly WHY you over-react to them. You are an intelligent woman, but the Democratic Media is expert at eliciting rage and anger from their base by turning a trivial issue like this into nationwide news.

 

[bodecea]

Well they have their standards listed. If you don’t like it, don’t work there.

And what SPECIFICALLY in their standards says her hair color is wrong?

 

[MarathonMike]

And what SPECIFICALLY in their standards says her hair color is wrong?

Who knows and who cares? This was one supervisor in one location who made a poor decision. The young girl is still happily employed with her hair untouched. It's all of you who have been triggered by the trigger bait screaming SYSTEMIC RACISM!!!! which is EXACTLY the reason the Democratic media picks up on these nothing burgers and broadcasts them on national news.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Supervisor needs to be fired or demoted. End of story.

If the EEOC decides to investigate her case it's possible that they require that all staff receive some type of educational classes.

When I was younger I used to just assume that people who made racist comments were just ignorant, meaning I just assumed, as my parents would say, that they "just don't know any better".

After decades of being subjected to other people's ignorance I came to realize they are quite likely indeed ignorant. AND racist.