Montreal resident discriminated against because of her curly hair
The woman filed a complaint with the Air Transport Safety Board of Canada.
Christine Rodriguez, the owner of an afro hairstyle, travels frequently for work. She is outraged that her hair has been searched three times in the past month and a half at airports in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. The woman claims that airport officials demanded additional screening after she had already gone through the scanner.
Rodriguez finds the practice discriminatory: "It's absurd, I can't hide anything in my hair. It's a touchy point. In this case, it just doesn't seem necessary.
In the complaint, she suggests that the Canadian Air Transport Safety Authority (CATSA) train its employees in this regard.
The Center for Research and Action on Race Relations (CRARR) agrees with the victim: "It's a matter of finding ways and means to protect your rights, especially when the search seems intrusive and prejudicial."
A CRARR spokesperson emphasized in a statement that the very idea of such checks is unpleasant, especially for black women, because many of them have been discriminated against at work because of their hair. They had to struggle with constantly straightening their unruly hair and trying to style it to look like serious businesswomen.
He recommended that anyone who has been discriminated against at Canadian airports file a complaint with the Security Administration. In the meantime, the agency itself claimed that no complaints had been filed.
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