Doris “Wendy” Greene Helped Fight for New York City’s Natural Hair Anti-Discrimination Ban
She has dedicated her professional life’s work to advocating for better protections against racial inequality and discrimination.
It seems absurd that in 2019, in a place as progressive as New York City, Black people could be denied entry into places like a gym or a public library because of their appearance. Yet until this month, it remained a reality for many who wore their afros, bantu knots, cornrows, locs, or any other natural hair styles.
New York City finally announced new guidelines that have banned discrimination due to a person’s natural hair, believed to be the first such protection in the country. In The New York Times, columnist Ginia Bellafante called New York City “one of the rare municipalities in the country to codify the link between prejudice and personal presentation.” In doing so, both employers and public spaces — such as schools and nightclubs — can no longer “force Black people to change their natural hair as a requirement to be admitted in or retain affiliation with those settings,” according to the NYC Commission on Human Rights. The commission reaffirmed that such policies are “rooted in and perpetuate racist notions of what is considered ‘professional’ or ‘appropriate’ in the workplace and public spaces.” School principals, landlords, and any gatekeeper of such access will now be subject to penalties and civil damages if found to have. read more…