AKRON, Ohio — Akron Attorney Imokhai Okolo said he was relieved after he said the Akron Civil Rights Commission found his client, Seleke Korleh, was discriminated against on the basis of race by Akron’s VanDevere Chevrolet on Vernon Odom Boulevard due to his hair.
“This victory is validation. Validation that what in fact we alleged happened did happen,” Okolo said.
For Korleh, he said he feels like a weight has been lifted.
“This is just a reassurance that I was right,” Korleh said.
Still, Korleh said the journey to win this victory has been challenging.
“I felt like people might have felt like I was crazy, and Imokhai is the only person standing alongside with me the whole time, knowing that I am right,” Korleh said.
When News 5 first met Korleh in 2023, after the Okolo Law Firm filed the complaint, Korleh told us he chose to walk away from his sales consultant job at VanDevere Chevrolet because he said he did not want to strip away his identity after a statement revealed how management at VanDevere told Korleh that his “hair was getting out of control.
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Hanna Campbell & Powell, the firm representing VanDevere Chevrolet, confirmed the car dealership did ask Korleh to make his hair neat again during an October 2024 testimony.
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But the attorneys denied any 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.
“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 Attorney R. Brian Borla of Hanna Campbell and Powell on Oct. 25, 2024.
On Tuesday, VanDevere Chevrolet sent the following statement in regards to the decision:
"At the VanDevere Automotive Family, we have always prided ourselves on fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace for all employees. For nearly 80 years, our family-owned business has been deeply committed to treating every member of our team with fairness, dignity and respect.
We regret that a former employee felt that our actions were discriminatory when we asked him to make his hairstyle neater and more tidy. That was our only intent. When we became aware of the employee’s concerns, we took immediate steps to address them by telling Mr. Korleh that no changes to his hairstyle were necessary, asking him to come back and offering him back pay for any time missed. In fact, we made that offer numerous times, but we never received a reply to our offers. Instead, as was his legal right, he decided to file a complaint with the Akron Civil Rights Commission.
We recognize that the workplace is evolving, and we are committed to ensuring that our policies align with the values of inclusivity and respect that have always been central to our company.
While we are disappointed in the outcome of the Akron Civil Rights Commission’s decision, we respect the process.
Moving forward, we will take this opportunity to reinforce our commitment to fairness, ensuring that every employee at VanDevere feels valued and respected.
We remain dedicated to serving the Akron community with integrity, and we appreciate the continued trust of our employees, customers and neighbors."
Okolo and Korleh said they hope this success will send a message, especially as the CROWN Act is still being considered in Ohio’s State Senate.
RELATED: Ohio House passes CROWN Act, first step in making hair discrimination illegal
“Community can come together and still see wins,” Okolo said.
“The fight is not over. You can fight and you can win. Ultimately, if you stand on what you believe, stand 10 toes down, there will be positive results,” Korleh said.
Okolo said Korleh will get back pay for 10 days, damages for humiliation and embarrassment, attorney fees and a penalty to the commission.
But Korleh said the most important win is this victory.
