A Black truck driver is suing an Iowa trucking company, claiming he was fired because he refused to cut off his dreadlocks. Drew Harvey, 26, from Crete, Illinois, filed the lawsuit last week against TMC Transportation, based in Des Moines, and two of its employees. The company has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Harvey says he was hired as a flatbed truck driver in June. However, just one day after starting orientation, his instructor told him to meet with human resources. There, he was told his dreadlocks posed a “safety issue” and that he had to cut them or lose his job, according to the lawsuit.
Harvey said his hair holds deep cultural and spiritual significance. He offered several solutions, including trimming his hair, styling it differently, wearing a hair wrap, or buying a different hard hat. The company rejected all these proposals and fired him. The lawsuit states Harvey was sent home on a bus in tears.
The suit claims the company’s policy was applied unevenly and violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Harvey noticed that many non-Black workers, both men and women, were allowed to have long hair. He also learned online that TMC had previously fired another Black man for the same reason.
This case adds to a growing number of hair discrimination disputes across the U.S., including incidents involving a Black student suspended over dreadlocks in Texas and a Native American boy forced to cut his hair for cultural reasons in Kansas.
Harvey is seeking damages for lost wages and emotional distress.
