A Black man who filed a civil rights complaint against his employer, an Akron car dealership, for racially discriminating against him because of his hairstyle, won his case with the Akron Civil Rights Commission last week.
The commission unanimously determined that VanDevere Chevrolet violated the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act amendment, which was passed by the Akron City Council in 2020 and prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles and textures in the workplace and schools.
Selekeh Korleh, 29, began working as a sales consultant at the dealership in October 2022, with his hair styled in short locs and usually covered by a hat, according to his complaint. As his locs grew longer, he added beads and shells to his hair and stopped wearing the hat.
According to the complaint, a sales manager told Korleh in July 2023 that his hair was unprofessional and “getting out of control” and that he should wear a hat during his shifts.
Korleh said he began to be singled out in meetings around that time, and his sales numbers dropped as managers made it more difficult for him to close car deals by lowballing trade-in offers, not offering discounts to customers, and taking an unusually long time to prepare paperwork and financing, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Korleh went to discuss the issue with general manager Brian VanDevere, who informed him that his hairstyle violated the company’s personal appearance policy.
The company’s dress code then stated, “Proper dress, grooming, and hygiene contribute to the morale of all associates and influence the business image we present to our customers and the community.”
You are expected to maintain a high level of grooming and to present a professional and businesslike appearance that is appropriate for the duties and responsibilities of your position. Extremes in any style are not permitted. No unnatural hair colors are allowed.”
VanDevere gave Korleh an ultimatum: if he wanted to keep his job, he had to wear a hat, cut his hair, or work as a lot porter, lube technician, or detailer, none of which involved dealing with customers. The complaint stated that all of those positions paid less than his sales job.
Korleh refused to accept the terms, which he claimed meant “stripping him of his identity,” and left the dealership.
“I’m not cutting my hair for nobody,” he said to the Beacon Journal. “Nobody has to feel the way I felt.”
Ten days later, VanDevere backpedaled, leaving Korleh a voicemail in which he stated that he was unaware of the law allowing Korleh to wear his hair “in any way that he wants[s],” according to the commission decision, and offered to reinstate his position with compensation for the time he was absent from work.
Korleh ignored the voicemail, did not return to work, and filed a civil rights complaint with the commission on September 7, 2023.
“I felt like it was time for me to stand my ground,” Korleh told me.
At a hearing before the commission in October 2024, attorney Brian R. Borla, representing VanDevere, stated that the company only took issue with Okolo’s hair “after his dreads became longer” and he added beads and shells to his natural hair. “He was asked to make it neater again. I was asked to remove the shells. Remove the beads.”
Borla stated that the dealership has a long-standing grooming policy for the sales floor that requires a high standard of grooming. VanDevere wishes to maintain a professional appearance, noting that the city of Akron also requires its police officers’ hair to be neatly trimmed.
Mike VanDevere, president of the auto group, testified that the dealership’s personal grooming policies were in place long before Akron’s hair discrimination ordinance was passed, and company officials were unaware their policy was in conflict with it when they reprimanded Korleh.
In its decision, the commission determined that VanDevere engaged in unlawful discrimination against Korleh and effectively discharged him on the basis of race by requiring him to cut or cover his locks in order to continue working.
It ordered the dealership to pay Korleh $850 in back pay for the 10-day period between the end of his employment and when the general manager offered to hire him back; $2,550 in injury, including humiliation and embarrassment; attorney’s fees; and $1,000 in civil penalties to the civil rights commission.
The commission also ordered VanDevere to end its discriminatory practices.
VanDevere Automotive issued a statement last week stating, in part:
“We have always taken pride in making our workplace an inclusive and respectful environment for all employees. For nearly 80 years, our family-owned business has been dedicated to treating each member of our team with fairness, dignity, and respect.
We regret that a former employee perceived our actions as discriminatory when we asked him to make his hairstyle neater and more tidy.
That was our only intention. When we learned of the employee’s concerns, we took immediate action to address them by informing Mr. Korleh that no changes to his hairstyle were required, inviting him to return, and offering him back pay for any time missed.
We made that offer several times and never received a response. Instead, he exercised his legal right and filed a complaint with the Akron Civil Rights Commission.
We understand that the workplace is changing, and we are dedicated to ensuring that our policies reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that have always been central to our company.
While we are disappointed by the Akron Civil Rights Commission’s decision, we respect the process. Moving forward, we will use this opportunity to reinforce our commitment to fairness, ensuring that every VanDevere employee feels valued and respected.”
Imokhai Okolo, an Akron attorney who represented Korleh, told the Atlanta Black Star, “We don’t believe they were genuine in that apology,” noting that his client was not asked to make his hair “more neat and tidy,” but rather to “cut it off, hide it, or hide himself from public view.”
One Facebook user called VanDevere’s statement “tacky and tone deaf,” adding, “Take accountability — you guys were wrong, period. … “Don’t try to save face now because you lost the lawsuit.”
Korleh stated that after two years of litigation, a weight had been lifted. “This is just reassurance that I was right,” he told News5 Cleveland.
Korleh now works at another Akron auto dealership, “where he is more successful and making more money than he ever did at VanDevere,” according to Okolo.
The legal battle “was never about the money for him,” according to Okolo. “It’s about validating that this is still happening, and righting a wrong, for himself and for the community.”
Okolo stated that his client hopes the outcome of his case will have a positive impact on legislation to codify the CROWN Act statewide, which is currently pending in the Ohio Senate. “He’s willing to testify to push Ohio to address this issue, so it doesn’t happen to somebody else,” said the legislator. “The fight is not over.”
The CROWN Act was first signed into law in California in 2019, and similar legislation has been passed in 27 other states since then, according to SignalAkron. Ohio has yet to join them, but Akron, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland Heights have already passed legislation.
The House of Representatives passed a federal version of the legislation in 2022, but the Senate did not vote on it. Cory Booker, a Democratic senator from New Jersey, reintroduced it in 2024, but it did not advance to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.
