Lara Odoffin, a Nigerian living in the UK had her job offer revoked
because of her hair. She was told that her braids were not part of the
‘uniform’
The Bournemouth University graduate Lara Odoffin wrote
about the discrimination she had faced in a post on Facebook yesterday
and was astonished when it quickly went viral and was shared 3,000
times.
She also posted a picture of the email she had received
from the company, which read: ‘Unfortunately we cannot accept braids –
it is simply part of the uniform and grooming requirements we get from
our clients.
‘If you are unable to take them out I unfortunately won’t be able to offer you any work.’
In her own post, she wrote:
‘So after being accepted for a position within this company, they have
TAKEN BACK the offer of a position on the grounds that if I do not take
my braids out.
‘Naturally I simply cannot work for the company.
‘This
type of discrimination should not still be happening in this day and
age and any establishment still condoning such practices deserve to be
shamed and criticised.
‘Being a black woman means that to have a long term hairstyle that stays neat is always going to be a problem.
‘Having
braids that last for 2-4 months and can be packed neatly and styled to
however a workplace requires is the solution to this problem.
‘No workplace has any right to forbid you from this.”