User:TaylorHive/sandbox

Similar to many countries around the world, Black and First Nations Canadians have experienced discrimination in educational and professional environments. One type of discrimination has been based on their hair textures and styles. The cause of this type of discrimination is based on long standing Eurocentric views of beauty that were established during early colonization. Setting this standard was used as a tool to suppress both African and First nations culture. Though, Canada has made an commitment to support anti-racism and reconciliation there has been no specific protections put in place (such as the crown act) to protect against this form of discrimination.

In Canada, there has been notable cases of discrimination that made national news sites about Black Canadian women being discriminated against at their work place. Due to their hair was deemed unprofessional. In 2016, a Mixed-race black woman in Scarborough Ontario, who was working at the retail chain ZARA, was asked to remove her box braids because her hair style was unprofessional. In another case, an African-American woman living in Montreal Quebec, was sent home from a restaurant and denied shifts, because her hair was in cornrows. The women gained representation through the Centre for Research Action on Race Relations (CRARR), and filed a case with the Quebec Human Rights Commission based racial and gender discrimination. She won her case and was rewarded $14 500 in damages.

First Nations people in Canada have also experienced discrimination and harm due to wearing hair styles that do not conform to Eurocentric view. During the time of residential schools, First Nations children braids were cut from their heads to force assimilation. Similar incidents of racism have happened recently in Canada. In 2009, in Thunder bay Ontario, a First Nations boy’s hair was cut by a teachers aide. In 2018, a boy in Calgary Alberta came from school with his hair cut. After another student bullied him and then cut out his braid. In both culture braids hold significant ties to the past times before colonization and have important culture meaning.