vendredi 2 septembre 2016
The Reason This Woman Was Discharged From the Navy Will Make You Furious
Though many women of color have been proudly wearing their natural kinks and curls, there are unfortunately still some who face discrimination (especially in the workplace) for their style choices. Jessica Sims, former Hospital Corpsman 2nd class and sailor, has experienced this ordeal firsthand after she was honorably discharged from the Navy after 12 years of service for refusing to cut her dreadlocks.
Sims has been wearing the hairstyle since 2005 and tying them into a bun. According to Navy Times, Jessica's hair was ruled out of regulation because the size of her bun was too "bulky" to accommodate the wearing of her gas mask. But Jessica argues that her locs were, in fact, never an issue during the majority of her service and very well within bounds of the regulations.
The U.S. Navy Grooming Standards states that locs are unauthorized. More specifically, braids and locks that are widely spaced and/or protrude from the head are forbidden. Though Jessica has worn her dreads tied into a bun for the majority of her service, they were still deemed unacceptable. Navy officials defended their decision to dismiss Jessica, stating that her locks presented safety concerns including being unable to wear protective headgear. The Navy chain of command stated that Jessica was presented with multiple opportunities to cut her hair but firmly refused. Consequently, she was released for disobeying orders.
Though the Navy has recently made minor changes to its grooming policies making natural hairstyles (like twists and cornrows) somewhat acceptable, Jessica believes that there is still bias against black women who choose to wear their natural hair in any style.
"To me, my natural hair is professional. It's all how you keep yourself up. I could just have a regular bun and not take care of that and it could look unprofessional," she said. Jessica added that the Navy should be explicit with its regulations against dreadlocks and ban (or permit) the style altogether, instead of being selective with various lengths and sizes.
Though Jessica does not bewail her decision of refusing to cut her locks, her unfortunate situation is just further evidence of the negative associations made with dreadlocks and other natural hairstyles. A woman's natural hair shouldn't discredit her professionalism, let alone her ability to protect and serve her country. Hopefully, society will continue to make strides in becoming more accepting of natural hair in the workplace to prevent further situations similar to Jessica's from occurring.
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