Navy Discharges Black Woman For Refusing To Cut Off Her Natural Hair
Jessica Sims, a 12-year veteran, has been discharged because she would not cut off her natural hair. The Navy apparently believes that caucasion hair is good and African American hair is bad.
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The military has been under scrutiny for guidelines issued in March that critics believe were discriminatory toward African-American women. Those regulations “specifically forbid several hairstyles popular for black women who keep their hair natural, including twists, headbands, dreadlocks, or multiple braids that are larger than a quarter-inch.” A former U.S. Army Major, writing on ThinkProgress, sharply criticized the regulations, noting they targeted “natural styles African American service women have been wearing for years.”
Sims had been wearing her hair in the same way since 2005, without any apparent issues.
In response to the criticism, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered the regulations to be relaxed earlier this month to “allow female service members to have a wider range of hairstyles.” But the Navy found that Sims hair still violated their guidelines…
The Navy said her hairstyle made it difficult for her to wear a gas mask. Sims said that her hair conformed to regulations requiring it protrude less than two inches from her head and that she “never had a problem wearing safety helmets or gas masks.”
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Pistol-Packing August 22nd, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Alan…. How is this story any different if it was a white woman whose hair style did not meet guidelines ???
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered the regulations to be relaxed earlier this month to “allow female service members to have a wider range of hairstyles.” But the Navy found that Sims hair still violated their guidelines…
M D Reese August 22nd, 2014 at 1:42 pm
I would suggest that you go back and read a few more articles on this issue.
Carla Akins August 22nd, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Oh, its different. It’s an absolutely ridiculous rule and it has nothing to do with safety or wearing a gas mask – it allows wigs.
That said, she’s in the service and she knew, or should have known this would happen. Stupid rule aside, you cannot disobey an order.
Yenta August 22nd, 2014 at 2:41 pm
I completely agree with you. That being said, though, defiance of the rule to the point of being discharged will bring media attention and scrutiny to the rule. Rosa Parks knew it was against the law when she refused to give up her seat to a white person.
Carla Akins August 22nd, 2014 at 3:05 pm
I agree that standing up against an unfair law is our right. The difference is that Rosa Parks was your standard citizen, and this young woman serving in the military. It’s not the same, and she clearly knew this if she had served for 12 years. Our servicemen and women are held to a different set of rules and regulations, anyone that serves knows and agrees to these rules.
The rule was wrong and stupid, no doubt about it. It’s not that she disagreed with the regulation but that she disobeyed an order – regardless of how ridiculous the order may have been. Disobeying orders gets people killed – it’s a big deal and not taken lightly by the military.
Yenta August 22nd, 2014 at 4:05 pm
I’m just not understanding how disobeying this particular order could get somebody killed. Many gay and lesbian people became members of the Armed Forces, knowing that it was forbidden. The various branches of the military discharged lots of members when it was discovered they were not heterosexual, even in cases where those members were serving as translators, whose services were desperately needed. That’s just cutting off your nose to spite your face, as my grandmother would say. Disobeying an order(?) about a hair style doesn’t mean she would disobey any other order. Your statement, “Disobeying orders gets people killed…” seems general, and unrelated to this specific issue. There are lots of things going on in the Armed Forces that are being handled poorly, especially reports of rape. The Navy doesn’t have a sterling reputation regarding women.
The military also has had many cases where orders were obeyed, and troops were charged with crimes because they followed those orders.
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/militarylaw1/a/obeyingorders.htm
Our military has a long history of discrimination, including Blacks, gays, women. Just this past week a member of the National Guard who was in Ferguson told a producer of CNN that since she was white, she should get out of the protest area, because there was no telling what “these Niggers” might do. This issue with the hair style sounds like another case of racism to me.
Yenta August 22nd, 2014 at 4:12 pm
“Our servicemen and women are held to a different set of rules and
regulations, anyone that serves knows and agrees to these rules.” As I said below, many gay people joined the military knowing their sexual orientation was not allowed. They agreed to the rules by joining, but they never intended to follow the rules. The shame of this today is NOT on the gay men and women who joined. It’s on the rules that the military made.
causeican August 22nd, 2014 at 2:12 pm
I know it’s hard to understand an issue that can’t be solved with a gun.
Rusty Shackleford August 22nd, 2014 at 2:18 pm
Because a white woman has to go out of her way to have a style the Navy considers unsuitable, as opposed to the natural hair of the black woman this article is about. The point is that the guidelines consider the natural hair of African Americans to be unacceptable.
Do I need to bold it again, or are you getting the point?
Deborah August 22nd, 2014 at 8:14 pm
She made a personal decision knowing what the consequences might be. I would have chosen my career over a haircut.
whatthe46 August 22nd, 2014 at 9:07 pm
bulshit. after 12 years of service now there’s a problem? and she should never have to cut her hair.