The Teen Discriminated Against by Six Flags for His Natural Hair Just Signed with a Modeling Agency
Following in the footsteps of California, who banned discrimination against black women and men with natural hair earlier this month (the first state to do so!), New York has now banned discrimination based on natural hair as of late last week. On July 12th, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill, amending an exisiting law, to prohibit "race discrimination based on natural hair or hairstyles.” It’s about time that laws were adjusted to combat discrimination against black people’s natural hair, which is rooted in longstanding racism. We hope that more states follow suit ASAP.
A prime example of why we need bills that protect against this kind of discrimination is the story of Kerion Washington, a 17-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas, who was denied a summer job at Six Flags because of his dreadlocks. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Kerion said that after a group interview at the theme park he was pulled aside and told that they wouldn’t allow dreadlocks. Six Flags then passed Kerion a business card and told him to call back them when he’d made a decision to cut them.
“I was confused and disappointed. I walked out and told my mom, who was even more disappointed,” Kerion said about the experience. It was the first time he had ever been discriminated against because of his hair. Kerion, who previously sported a mohawk, got dreads three years ago in an effort to try something new, and simply put, he likes his dreads.
“Studies show that 80% of black women are likely to change their natural hair to conform to societal norms. The bill's passing is a huge step forward in changing that,” Vogue wrote in an article about the bill’s passing, citing a statistic from Dove. This statistic is startling. No one should ever be forced to change their hairstyle because their look is deemed “unprofessional” as this is a myth that is racist and harmful.
The New York bill is part of the New York's Human Rights Law and the Dignity for All Students Act, which states that racial discrimination extends to traits that are historically associated with race including hair textures. The Californian bill clearly lays out the issue with this kind of behavior, writing, “the Legislature recognizes that continuing to enforce a Eurocentric image of professionalism through purportedly race-neutral grooming policies that disparately impact Black individuals and exclude them from some workplaces is in direct opposition to equity and opportunity for all."
But Kerion’s story has a bright side: Corrie Caster, head of development at the modeling agency IMG Models LA, the same agency that represents Kate Moss and Gigi Hadid, scouted him after hearing what happened and connected him to Jones Model Management.
“It’s been a crazy experience, I wasn’t expecting that,” Kerion said over the phone. Kerion had considered modeling in the past, so it was a perfect fit when a recruiter for IMG contacted him on Instagram after hearing about the Six Flag incident.
Plus, Six Flags told Inside Edition that they would change the policy, which as far as we’re concerned is too little too late—the policy shouldn’t have existed in the first place.
Kerion and his mom, Karis Washington, are looking forward to a day when similar legislation that was passed in California and New York is passed in Texas, pointing out that, “They need to [pass legislation],” says Karis. “There’s a lot of young adults that have dreads now. It’s very common,” she continued. Kerion is currently working with Jones Model Management to prepare for a career in modeling. Are you as excited as we are to see him in an editorial shoot or walking down the runway?! Kerion, we’re rooting for you.
We’ll continue to keep our readers updated if and when more states follow New York and California’s lead.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
