Black men sometimes find themselves in the position of having to push back against rules that require them to shave, whether it’s facial hair or their locks.
One of the latest cases involves a former University of Pennsylvania police officer who filed a racial discrimination lawsuit, which includes a complaint that his bosses harassed him for not complying with facial hair standards. Officers have to be clean cut, except for mustaches or short sideburns. Joseph Lewis, a six-year vet of the force, however, suffered from razor bumps, which made it painful to shave. The condition is common in about 60 percent of African-American men or people with coarse, curly hair, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. He filed his suit in 2016 and now the judge has approved a jury trial.
Source: Black Men Are Fighting Workplace Discrimination Over Beards And Dreadlocks
