"That is played out in workplaces, its played out in schools not just athletic competitions and settings every single day all across America in ways subtle and overt.An anchor at a different Mississippi TV station made national news when she said she was fired after she stopped straightening her hair."If Im in a professional setting, I wont wear my hair in certain ways," she said.Alikah Hatchett-Fall said:three pieces heavy duty anchors Manufacturers;She's had black men come into her salon asking to have their hair cut off because they can't find jobs. The term locks, or "locs," is the preferred term to dreadlocks, which has a derogatory connotation." Alikah Hatchett-Fall, who runs Sacred Crowns Salon in Sacramento said: shes had black men come into her salon asking to have their hair cut off because they cant find jobs.". "You dont want to have to feel like you have to put on a wig or you have to have your hair straight to please someone else.

"Californias new law, which takes effect on Jan 1, is significant because federal courts have historically held that hair is a characteristic that can be changed, meaning theres no basis for discrimination complaints based on a hairstyle.The law by Democratic Senator Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles, a black woman who wears her hair in locks, makes California the first state to explicitly say that those hairstyles are associated with the race and are therefore protected against discrimination in the workplace and in schools."His decision whether or not to lose an athletic competition or lose his identity came into, I think, stark terms for millions of Americans," Newsom said before signing the bill alongside Mitchell and half a dozen advocates."You want to go to work and feel free," Drayton said.Californias Democratic governor said the video was a clear example of the discrimination black Americans face.The beauty company Dove is part of a coalition pushing for more hairstyle # protections, and Mitchell said she hopes other states follow California.The US Supreme Court recently declined to hear the case of an Alabama woman who said she didnt get a job because she refused to change her hair.The issue burst into public view last December when a black high school wrestler in New Jersey was told by a referee that he had to cut off his dreadlocks if he wanted to compete.

Mitchells bill adds language to the states discrimination laws to say that "race" also includes "traits historically associated with race," including hair texture and protective hairstyles.The law, she said, "means that psychologically and mentally people can be at ease and be able to get the jobs they want, keep the jobs they want, and get promoted at the jobs they want."It bothered me," Hunter-Ray said in an interview at the hair salon she owns in Sacramento that specializes in natural hairstyles.At Hunter-Rays studio, Exquisite U, on Wednesday, her stylists and customers reflected on the new law.My normal is my fro or my braids.Shereen Africa, who was having her hair re-braided by Elicia Drayton, said she used to work at a television station in Mississippi where a black anchor quit after facing resistance to wearing her hair in locks."We are changing the course of history, hopefully, across this country by acknowledging that what has been defined as professional hairstyles and attire in workplace are historically been based on a Euro-centric model based on straight hair," Mitchell said.

Her manager told Hunter-Ray her hair had never looked so normal.It further defines protective hairstyles like braids, twists and locks.' Democratic Senator Holly Mitchell said as hairstyles are associated with race, they are protected against discrimination in workplace and schools." Though California is the first state with such a law, New York City earlier this year issued legal guidance banning discrimination against someone based on their hairstyle. (Photo: Twitter/@HollyJMitchell) Sacramento: Governer Gavin Newsom signed into law on Wednesday, a bill making California the first state to ban workplace and school discrimination against black people for wearing hairstyles such as braids, twists and locks.Stephanie Hunter-Ray, who works at a makeup counter, says she typically wears her hair braided or in an afro, but one day she showed up to work with it straightened and styled in a bob. Africa said she did not wear her hair in braids at the job, even though she wasnt on air, because the environment wasnt supportive of it. "What do you mean by normal? Your normal is not my normal