AKRON, Ohio — A hearing involving a race-based hair discrimination complaint News 5 first told you about last year is underway in Akron.
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“My hair was an issue based on the role I was in as far as me being a salesperson,” said Seleke Korleh, a client being represented by The Okolo Law Firm.
Imokhai Okolo of The Okolo Law Firm and his client, Seleke Korleh, went to the Akron Council Chambers on Friday to testify before the city’s Civil Rights Commission.
This comes after The Okolo Law Firm filed a complaint in August 2023 on behalf of Korleh, who said he’s seeking justice for being discriminated against on the basis of race by Akron’s VanDevere Chevrolet on Vernon Odom Blvd. due to his hair.
“Race discrimination on the basis of someone’s hairstyle has no place in Akron, Ohio,” said Okolo.
The hearing began with opening statements from both Okolo and the attorneys for Hanna Campbell & Powell, the firm representing VanDevere Chevrolet.
The defendants argue against the alleged violations of the CROWN Act, which is a California law and legislation enacted by Akron City Council in December 2020 to ban race-based hair discrimination in the workplace and schools.
Instead, Attorney R. Brian Borla of Hanna Campbell & Powell said the issue is whether VanDevere has the right to require its salespeople to keep their hair trimmed.
“The issue for the commission to decide at this hearing is whether VanDevere discriminated against Mr. Korleh by asking him to trim his dreadlocks and remove the shells and beads from his hair similar to the hair and dreadlocks he had when he was hired by VanDevere,” said Borla.
In a statement News 5 received from Okolo’s Law Firm last year, the attorney claimed that as Korleh’s hair began to grow, management at VanDevere told Korleh that his “hair was getting out of control” and that his hair did not meet VanDevere’s standards of professionalism.
“Mr. Okolo is right. After the dreads became longer, and he added beads and shells into his natural hair, he was asked to make it neat again. Asked to remove the shells. Remove the beads,” said Borla.
Because Korleh said he did not want to strip away his identity, he told News 5 that he chose to walk away from his sales consultant job at VanDevere Chevrolet in August 2023 when we spoke to him the following month.
Korleh even testified before the commission on Friday, with his hair twisted in locs and some beads present, saying his hair was an issue because of his role.
But Michael ‘Mike’ Vandevere of VanDevere Chevrolet said their company’s general policies does not prohibit dreadlocks or any type of natural hair.
“You’re expected to maintain a high standard of grooming and to present a professional and business-like appearance consistent with the duties and responsibilities of your position,” said VanDevere.
“I couldn’t have locs because I guess being a salesperson on the floor facing customers that look like me every day that come buy cars there, was the issue,” said Korleh.
The completion of the full hearing has been scheduled for some time in November.
