26-year-old Drew Harvey of Crete moved to Des Moines on June 23 for a new job with TMC Transportation but he was fired because of his reluctance to have his dreadlocks cut the day after he began a training program at the company.
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.’”
After discussing the situation with the vice president of HR, Harvey claimed he was given the choice to either shave off his hair or lose his job. He was informed that the nature of the business requires employees to wear hard hats and have them securely fastened. Harvey said he refused to cut his hair because of the cultural and emotional significance of it.
RELATED STORIES
“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 been accused of racial discrimination in the past. According to KCCI, Damon Mitchell was hired by the company in 2021 but was later sacked during training due to his dreadlocks.
Mitchell sued TMC and signed a non-disparagement agreement with it, prohibiting him and his attorney from discussing the case.
In Iowa, no legislation protects employees against discrimination for their hair as the Crown Act is yet to be passed. Harvey told the Des Moines Register last week that he has yet to get a job 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 to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission on June 25. Per Iowa law, he cannot file a lawsuit until 60 days after the original complaint, the Des Moines Register stated.
