11 Examples Highlighting the War Against Natural Black Hair

Tiana Parker sent home from school crying for having locks

Tiana Parker, 7, was reprimanded by her Tulsa, Okla., elementary school in September for wearing locks to school. Her father removed her from the Deborah Brown Community School in Tulsa, after the charter school's dress code banning 'hairstyles such as dreadlocks, afros, mohawks and other faddish styles' sent her home in tears.

Two weeks after Tiana transferred to another school over the policy, her former school backtracked with an apology and amendment to its dress code.

MarKeese Warner denied employment for dreadlocks

In June 2012, Penn State engineering student MarKeese Warner learned when she applied for a summer job at Six Flags in Mitchellville, Md., that she was denied employment because her locks were a breach of the company policy against 'extreme hairstyles.'

Six Flags stood by its decision and claims it is an equal opportunity employer.

'We have a very conservative dress code,' a company representative said. 'We don't discriminate based on gender, age, or race.'

Warner started a Change.org petition to raise awareness of the Six Flags policy, and more than 30,000 people signed it.

'I think this policy is discriminating. And I think it does enable racial profiling,' said Warner, adding that though it affects people of all races, 'in practice it affects predominantly black people because the majority of people with dreadlocks are black.'