Experiencing hair discrimination during the early stages of one’s career could cause an automatic “disconnect of belonging” and loss of confidence in skills for Black professionals, said Andrew McCaskill, a senior director of global communications and career expert for LinkedIn.
“What we know is that, as you get more mature in your career, you’re typically also more confident in your skills that you have and what you bring to the table,” McCaskill said. “For younger folks, these types of aggressions and microaggressions can cause real angst for them in terms of even to the point of doubting their skills and saying, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’”
On the federal level, the House passed the Crown Act last year to ban hair discrimination. California passed its own law, banning hair discrimination in 2019, and a number of other states have followed suit.
Companies should be intentional about giving Black employees “space for their authenticity at work,” McCaskill said. Above all, McCaskill notes that companies must “believe Black women when they have the bravery and courage to say that they are experiencing microaggressions and or hair discrimination at work.”
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