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  Posted By:
  leanneclausen at 05/28/2008 9:20:33 PM
  Comment:
  Wow, that is so wrong. I fully support your efforts to stand up to the restaurant management. As a white woman (and with spiky hair to boot), I plan to write to Ruby Tuesday with your recommendations as posted above. Otherwise, it'll be awhile before I go there again. Stay strong! I
  --a co-worker against gentrification
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  Posted By:
  rjeiel536 at 04/05/2008 3:59:07 PM
  Comment:
  I have worked a a kitchen designer in Colorado for 4 years, wearing my hair natural
  The response has been positive. I was shocked while living a short time in Georgia to find constant comment and negative response from both black and white. I was asked constantly about my hair when people met me. And was more than once if I had ever considered a weave. Colorado is only 4% black, yet they seem more accepting of natural black hair than Georgia with 29%.
  
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  Posted By:
  oahu762003 at 04/04/2008 7:19:22 AM
  Comment:
  I, too, sing America.
  
  I am the darker brother.
  They send me to eat in the kitchen
  When company comes,
  But I laugh,
  And eat well,
  And grow strong.
  
  Tomorrow,
  I'll be at the table
  When company comes.
  Nobody'll dare
  Say to me,
  "Eat in the kitchen,"
  Then.
  
  Besides,
  They'll see how beautiful I am (dreads, locks, afro and all)
  And be ashamed--
  
  I, too, am America.
  
  Langston Hughes
  
  "Maybe one day, Langston."
  
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  Posted By:
  Elizabeth A at 04/03/2008 2:10:26 PM
  Comment:
  This is the same issue that faces all women everywhere. To get jobs our hair has to conform. In my career, I must wear my very long hair in some ridiculous bun, because, of course, long hair is a sign of my femininity and what does the professional world loathe? Women. What do they love? Men. So, what do I have to do to get a job? Be as close to the ideal, man, as I can be. Sadly, there is no "written policy" that I can challenge. The policy is the policy of the inherent sexism that is systemic. Kudos to you for the challenge, but sadly, it probably did nothing...you and I will still never be men.
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  Posted By:
  ms_hgrits at 04/01/2008 11:10:15 AM
  Comment:
  Amen to you for exhibiting "Grace under fire"! Najmah
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  Posted By:
  eahl4 at 03/31/2008 10:18:53 AM
  Comment:
  I disagree with the gentleman who thinks physical "conformity" i.e. disguise is the key to black people's success. First of all, there are lots of black people who have succeeded--the year is 2008; that can't be expected to completely change the fact that we are an "outnumbered" group confronting a bad internal and external mythology. But there is no need to fight mythology with lies, disguises, and hoodwinks, just because some people have succeeded with that technique. It is not the only way to do things. Unless you are working in the fashion industry, it is pretty backwoods for people to be telling you in this day and age that your natural-born hair, when it is clean and neatly styled in braids, dreads, or an afro, is unacceptable to have on your head. (Personally, I think all of us should have to accept clean and tidy UNnatural-styles too. But what is unnatural is more difficult to defend aesthetically because it is a random invention as opposed to what you are born with.) Are the non-curly-haired men and women working there prevented from having bangs or required to use curling irons? Are they required to have layers cut in their hair, instead of having it all one length? Are bald men required to wear wigs there? What kind of circus-nonsense is this? That commenter thinks she can't succeed unless she hides or disguises the hair that grows on her head? I myself am doing very well as a faculty member at a Midwest university with natural hair, and I am happy to say it has never even come up as a point of interest or attention. Most black people of note around me have natural hair; it seems kind of typical for higher-ed. people and money-making black people if you ask me. And most of the white people I work with prefer natural black hairstyles for their part, so it must be a regional thing you guys are into. In any case I assure you it is nuts. Most black people who've succeeded, like eveyone else, are people who were in the right place at the right time, knew the right person, had the benefit of some good schooling, are hard working on some level and, because of the challenges of being a minority, are confident enough in themselves to be able to discern which kinds of nonsense to swallow for the greater good, and which nonsense requires a nice neat "hock" in order to sustain a basis for the respect others have for you and you have for yourself. I think this young lady followed the proper channels-- she talked to the people at the level where the policy originated-- that is the best she could be expected to do. And where I will eat out and not eat out after I check her facts is the best I can do.
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  Posted By:
  cnberg at 03/30/2008 10:48:01 PM
  Comment:
  Well, I won't patronize Ruby Tuesday's whether they changed the policy, apologized, or whatever they did in an attempt to make it right. It was still wrong and anything else was just that...an attempt to cover up the fact that they were gonna get bad publicity and maybe a lawsuit out of the issue. It didn't change a narrow-minded attempt at policy change.
  
  I cannot believe the other guy that cut his locks. I think he looked a hundred times better with them.
  
  My son had dreads for a couple of years. The father of the girl he was dating said "How can I expect him to take care of my daughter, when he can't even take care of his hair." He did eventually accept my son, after he got to know him as a person. Hmmmm. Too bad people are still judged everyday on the color of their skin, the way they comb their hair, the clothing they wear, and piercing and tatoos. I have always been a non-conformist and I always will be.
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  Posted By:
  Deborah G. Moses-Sanks at 03/30/2008 3:58:40 AM
  Comment:
  You go girl!! And your beautiful too!!
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  Posted By:
  Joe at 03/27/2008 11:22:31 PM
  Comment:
  We have to realize until we own the company and direct the processes we are not in control of policies or decisions. We black folks can win the battle every time but we so often loose the war because we fight emotional battles rather than planning for the siege. Yes you have every right to wear your braids as a cultural thing but if the patrons decide they do not want you as a server then something has to give, in most instances it will be your job, either because of reduce income or management will find some other reason to let you go.
  
  In truth if we are going to main stream we do it by entering, conforming and growing to positions of trust and responsibly, not by starting at the bottom rung and staying there. I am employed by an institution of higher learning I have seldom seen a non conformist rise above the level initial hired. In many cases because tenure is required to continue it is seldom granted, if it is granted promotions become very hard to achieve. Yes battles are won every day but it take a plan to win the war against discrimination.
  
  All of us have an opinion but none of us have advanced the true weapon to make it happen.
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  Posted By:
  kejie at 03/27/2008 4:48:52 PM
  Comment:
  This may be as much a generational issue as a race issue- in the way that tattoos are pretty common among people under 35, but many work places still have policies against visible tattoos. I can see how older white Americans (and I'm white) view braids, tattoos, non-ear piercings as "eccentric" or, especially with braids, as "ghetto" or "thuggish". But younger adults don't look twice at them- see how many DC firefighters/cops have braids.There just seems to be a generational gap between those who see fashion non-conformity as indicating social deviance versus those who see it as the girl in the next cubicle at work. I also hope that black people don't view this kind of thing as real repression or racism. It's a stupid policy by a fairly bland corporate franchise about hair- not exactly a klan rally or separate drinking fountains. Yes, it's probably racist on some unintentional level, but even more it's the kind of American style gentrified blahness that sucks the life out of everybody, regardless of race, until we're all wearing pleated khakis, driving subcompacts, and getting really, really excited about a new yoga class or flavored latte.
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  Posted By:
  Maritza at 03/27/2008 3:18:28 PM
  Comment:
  If chains are "stripping black neighborhoods of their unique character and culture", why did you apply to work at one? Oh well - we go where the work is.
  
  But I do congratulate you on standing for principle. Braids have always struck me, a white chick, as a tidy yet glam way of hairdressing. For "upper management" to pay that much attention to how their employees style their hair - particularly in the case of what I would consider to be a "conservative" arrangement - does indeed smack of discrimination.
  
  I will tell your story the next time my friends suggest meeting up at that exact Ruby Tuesday's in D.C.'s Chinatown.
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  Posted By:
  mojo 25 at 03/27/2008 1:30:40 PM
  Comment:
  THANK YOU FOR TAKING A STAND AGAINST THE BACKWORD POLICY OF THIS COMPANY; BEING PERSISTENT SURELY PAYS ; OUR ANCESTORS SMILE CONTINOUSLY WITH YOUR SUCCESS ... THANK YOU AGAIN !!! MSADIKI
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  Posted By:
  hannahp79 at 03/27/2008 1:28:18 PM
  Comment:
  I'm sorry you had to deal with the more or less incessant ignorance of big corporate America (and its customers, probably!). As a white woman, I think your braids are beautiful, as is natural hair of any ethnicity, color, or creed! My husband is white, has long hair, and I can't tell you how many times people have made rude or nasty comments to him about his hair. What kind of an idiot calls a 6'4" man a girl, anyway?! The same kind of an idiot that you ran into....Good luck, and I hope that you keep those braids!
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  Posted By:
  dthierry49 at 03/27/2008 8:45:34 AM
  Comment:
  I agree you should have been hired with your braids which are quite nice but the issue is not just about race and culture it's also about class. White people have to conform too if they want a certain kind of job. White truck drivers can express their individuality because they drive a truck. The black waitress at a Chicago restaurant where I eat regularly, part of the city's most successful chains, has natural hair. If you're dealing with a large corporation you're going to confront the most conservative outlook. White people hesitate to hire white men with long hair. It's all based in fear that it will discourage business. The customers are pretty much on the same page as the people doing the hiring but every business is different. I've seen brothers with huge Fros busing tables in dept. store dining rooms. Plenty of young white people have issues with conforming. It's not just about race. Conforming is not just a social or cultural matter, it's also a DNA program. You don't see people breakin' out with their own thing among the Masai.
  
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  Posted By:
  desuzero at 03/27/2008 3:21:17 AM
  Comment:
  It is amazing to me how our hair becomes racialized. Not accepting twists, cornrows and dreads mean not accepting US. Our hair is part of who we are. While we can't get jobs with our natural hair, black women, many go overboard, looking like black "white" women, with a weave down their backs, which is accepted over our natural hair. Think for a second how many female journalists work for major networks showing off their twists, braids and dreads? Almost none. The powers that be are quicker to accept you if you are not authentically African, but an assimilated version of them. Our struggle still goes on.
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  Posted By:
  solidNspired at 03/27/2008 1:36:29 AM
  Comment:
  You will no doubt be interested to learn that the National Football League is thinking of adopting a policy that will regulate the length of a player's hair extending from beneath his helmet. They say it's a safety issue, but I can't help but think it's an attempt to rid the league of dreadlocks, which are very prevalent now. You see very few white players with long, flowing manes and Troy P. of the Steelers don't count. They also say the players wouldn't necessarily have to cut their hair, just make sure it's tucked up out of sight. Say what?!! OK guys, it's allright for you to be a Black man as long as you don't look like a Black man.
  
  SolidNspired
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  Posted By:
  browneyes at 03/26/2008 12:53:51 PM
  Comment:
  Afro hair is something people without Afro-hair will never understand. Blacks have been apart of this country since forever and still our hair is an issue. Whether its braided, locked, twisted or gilded. It is the easiest target for others to zone in on. That is there insecurity coming through. We can either make it an obstacle or a hurdle. Obstacles will stop you in other tracks, hurdles are just that jump over them and keep moving towards your goal. I applaud you for taking action on this issue.
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  Posted By:
  mikeinportc at 03/26/2008 11:14:26 AM
  Comment:
  Forgot 1 point . Big = bland , in just about everything, so supressing any sign of individuality , is the overarching goal . Braids just happen to be likely to be seen as standing out , because of race.
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  Posted By:
  bt1211 at 03/26/2008 11:13:36 AM
  Comment:
  As a blackman that has had braids since Milli-Vanilli, I'm not sure how your hairstyle makes you black. If they had a policy against afros then I would understand. Your hair does not grow into braids, its something you choose. No different than a jeri-curl(god forbid) or a perm. Is this another case of entitlement?
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  Posted By:
  mikeinportc at 03/26/2008 11:11:34 AM
  Comment:
  It wasn't about race? Sure it was . Even if the person making the decision wasn't consciously thinking it , just not liking it , that's part of it, either by the decision-maker, or the expectation that some customers will view it that way.
  As jabrealoo mentions, there is an overly broad association with criminality. But which criminals? I look ~ like Tim McVeigh + blond + mustache, but nobody ever tells me to lose the hair . ( Except 1 boss that thought 1" long, with a little bit of covered earlobe, was "shaggy" . :)
  
  
  
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  Posted By:
  bt1211 at 03/26/2008 11:06:19 AM
  Comment:
  As a blackman that had braids back when Milli-Vinilli had them. I'm not sure how your braids are part of your blackness. I could see if they had a policy of no Afros. Your hair does not grow in to braids, that is a style that you choose. No different than a jeri-curl(god forbid) or a perm. Could this be another since of entitlement?
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  Posted By:
  Parler at 03/26/2008 7:26:53 AM
  Comment:
  Thank you for standing up. That policy was ridiculously discriminatory. I am disappointed in Ruby Tuesday. It is the only major franchise restaurant that I enjoy. Despite the change in policy, I won't be returning. As you said, the policy reversal was not enough. It came only on the heels of public attention and does not seem to reflect a change in the hearts and minds of those who set the policy in the first place. I cannot help but fear that the discrimination will continue in a de facto fashion, and I don't want to finance such bad behavior.
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  Posted By:
  knows2much at 03/26/2008 2:43:45 AM
  Comment:
  Hard to believe this is still happening in 2008. I remember having worries like this 20 years ago. This nation is going backwards.
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  Posted By:
  girlgriot at 03/26/2008 1:52:26 AM
  Comment:
  This is amazing ... from so many angles. I'm amazed, first, that the general manager told you your braids violated policy and didn't seem to see anything problematic about it. And I'm amazed he didn't see that saying your natural hair wasn't acceptable was flinging the door wide for exactly the storyline that followed that interview. And I'm amazed because I'm willing to bet he thought he was helping you out, letting you know that you could have job if you'd just 'do something about' your hair. And on and on.
  
  Mostly I'm amazed and impressed by you. Most people just get pissed off and walk away, but you took action. Too cool.
  
  Your story reminds me how lucky I am to work in a position (non-profit adult education program) where no one would ever think to tell me my hair wasn't acceptable.
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  Posted By:
  celea at 03/25/2008 11:19:56 PM
  Comment:
  I am 53. Last year I cut my locks for a position in Seattle. I was told by the head hunter that the company was conservative, I did not get the position although I was qualofied. In the end the young man(my son's age) got the position, he is European. There will always be a reason to exclude someone.
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  Posted By:
  jabreal00 at 03/25/2008 10:48:27 PM
  Comment:
  I think unfortunately mainstream America associates braids, dreads, or locks with a criminal element. Many thugs and criminals used to rock those looks before they became mainstream in Black America. When I was in high school in the late 90s only the bad kids had cornrows. However, 5yrs later everyone had cornrows. Just my observation.
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  Posted By:
  Black Thought 08 at 03/25/2008 9:39:59 PM
  Comment:
  Yes I believe the policy discriminates against black women however, men black or white shouldn't be allowed to wear braid at the workplace.
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  Posted By:
  Ms Jane at 03/25/2008 5:42:17 PM
  Comment:
  I understand what you did, and why you did it, and support your seeking to stand up for what you believed was racial discrimination, but I agree with the restaurant that it is an image thing. I doubt the restaurant would have hired a white person with a mohawk, crazy dyed hair, or any other hairstyle that brought unnecessary attention to itself. The point in mainstream restaurants is homogeneity of style. Had your natural hair been worn in a different style - simply down or pulled back for example - and the restaurant required that you straighten it - that would be a different story. But the issue is one of mainstream professional styles versus youth styles and street styles adopted by people of any race.
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    Posted By:
    Parler at 03/26/2008 7:33:18 AM
    Comment:
    Why does homogeneity of style mean that black people's style must mimic the hair of whites? For those who choose not to chemically alter their hair, the styling options basically come down to those Ruby Tuesday sought to exclude. A mohawk is not by any means equivalent to a neatly-styled head of braids or twists. It is not our fault that cornrows and dreadlocks have come to be associated with a "criminal element", largely because most of white America's primary exposure to black Americans is through music videos. If they paid closer attention, they would see that there are many competent professional blacks who wear their hair in natural styles. The hard work and many years of education of these people should not be discounted simply because their hair is the same texture as those who people have come to fear and despise, nor should people with natural hair be expected to alter their hair in order to qualify for a job. That is undeniably discriminatory, and it is disappointing to see anyone defend.
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      Posted By:
      robesonsteele at 03/26/2008 7:46:02 PM
      Comment:
      while braids and cornrows are neatly styled as you say, it still represents a style, a choice and not the normal way african americans wear their hair naturally. it is similar to a mohawk in that it is out of the mainstream and that doesn't refer to whites.....it refers to blacks as well. every job has its set of rules.....in the military long hair is outlawed. would your argument hold up. the restaurant would be discriminatory if they told the women that she had to straighten her hair to look more sophisticated or something of that nature.....this issue and others like it are reasons why african americans are still struggling so mightily in this society.....we search every interaction for signs of discrimination. racism exists but not that is not the primary reason we are still largely second class citizens in america
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  Posted By:
  Ms Jane at 03/25/2008 5:41:50 PM
  Comment:
  I understand what you did, and why you did it, and support your seeking to stand up for what you believed was racial discrimination, but I agree with the restaurant that it is an image thing.
  I doubt the restaurant would have hired a white person with a mohawk, crazy dyed hair, or any other hairstyle that brought unnecessary attention to itself. The point in mainstream restaurants is homogeneity of style. Had your natural hair been worn in a different style - simply down or pulled back for example - and the restaurant required that you straighten it - that would be a different story. But the issue is one of mainstream professional styles versus youth styles and street styles adopted by people of any race.
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  Posted By:
  Ms Jane at 03/25/2008 5:40:48 PM
  Comment:
  I understand what you did, and why you did it, and support your seeking to stand up for what you believed was racial discrimination, but I agree with the restaurant that it is an image thing.
  I doubt the restaurant would have hired a white person with a mohawk, crazy dyed hair, or any other hairstyle that brought unnecessary attention to itself. The point in mainstream restaurants is homogeneity of style. Had your natural hair been worn in a different style - simply down or pulled back for example - and the restaurant required that you straighten it - that would be a different story. But the issue is one of mainstream professional styles versus youth styles and street styles adopted by people of any race.
  
  
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  Posted By:
  Jess30 at 03/25/2008 4:39:52 PM
  Comment:
  I'm glad that people are ready to fight back against this discrimination. I wonder, is this practice more common or less common in the larger corporate world?
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  Posted By:
  oheneaniwa at 03/25/2008 4:08:01 PM
  Comment:
  Seven strong harambees for the sister standing her ground and not backing down.
  Thank you for reaffirming my faith in the next generation.
  J.Y.L. in St. Louis
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  Posted By:
  ty at 03/25/2008 2:01:26 PM
  Comment:
  Sue them, sue them, sue them!
  Good luck, Grace; I'll send a prayer your way.
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  Posted By:
  ken at 03/25/2008 9:21:58 AM
  Comment:
  Nice piece Grace, bravo for standing up for yourself!
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  Posted By:
  jcan at 03/25/2008 9:21:18 AM
  Comment:
  People don't know much about African American culture so we keep having experiences like this one. Glad to see you stood up and had your exeperience help so many others.