26-year-old Drew Harvey, a Cretan, relocated to Des Moines for a new work with TMC Transportation on June 23. However, he was sacked because to his refusal to trim his dreadlocks after starting a training program.
Harvey told the Des Moines Register, “I was one of the top performers … I was thinking my instructor might be giving me a little bit of praise for doing a good job. I was getting ready to walk into the classroom and he stopped me and said, ‘You need to go talk to HR before stepping into the classroom.’”
Harvey stated that he was offered the option of shaving his hair or losing his job after addressing the problem with the HR vice president. He was informed that the nature of the business necessitates personnel to wear hard hats that are firmly attached. Harvey stated that he refuses to cut his hair because it holds cultural and emotional value.
“I’ve seen multiple people with my skin color and different hair types conduct their jobs more than efficiently with a hard hat,” Harvey stated, stressing that the hat felt more secure once he wrapped his locs in a manner he suggested to his employers.
He continued, “Being an African American, and just understanding where my people are from, our hair is very deeply tied to our spirituality as well as our moral beliefs. I have not cut my hair since the day my father passed away four years ago. … My dad would braid it up for me.”
TMC has faced accusations of racial discrimination in the past. Damon Mitchell, who was employed in 2021, was fired during training owing to his dreadlocks, as reported by KCCI.
Mitchell sued TMC and signed a non-disparagement agreement, which prohibited him and his lawyers from publicizing the matter.
The Crown Act has yet to be passed in Iowa, thus no regulation protects employees from discrimination based on their hair. Harvey told the Des Moines Register last week that he has failed to find work since returning home to Illinois.
“I don’t want this to continuously be a problem for people of my skin color and ethnicity,” he said. “We should not be subjected to these types of discriminatory claims.”
Harvey filed a civil rights complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission on June 25. According to the Des Moines Register, he cannot bring a lawsuit until 60 days after the original complaint, as required by Iowa law.