A teenage girl from North Carolina claimed she was sent home from her job at Chick-fil-A over having an “unnatural” hair color.
In an interview with the “Today” show, Autumn Williams, 16, recalled the incident that took place on July 13. She said her manager asked to speak to her in private as she worked the front counter.
“She said, ‘Our supervisor drove by yesterday and noticed blond in your hair and since blond is an unnatural color to you, we have to ask you to take the blond out of your hair and then come back when there’s none,'” she explained.
Williams wears “brownish-blond” or “dark blond” box braids, according to her and her mother Nina Burch. She claimed her manager told her she understood removing the hair color would be a “long process” for her and said she could email the company when she was “ready to come back.”
“It was very stressful — it made me feel like there was something wrong with me and my appearance,” she shared.
Following her dismissal, Burch called the restaurant’s supervisor, whose number was given to her by the manager, and alleged he refused to go into detail about the incident on the phone.
When Williams got on the phone, she said the supervisor told her, “We already had a conversation about your hair. If there’s any confusion, you can refer to the handbook.”
According to the Chick-fil-A handbook, “Extremes in dying, bleaching or tinting of your hair is not permitted.”
On Aug. 1, the store’s owner issued an apology to Williams and stated, “This shouldn’t have happened.”
However, Chick-fil-A claimed Williams was not fired from her job and was invited back to the restaurant by the owner.
The owner interpreted the incident as an educational moment for his team, the company revealed, via the “Today” show.
As for Williams, she has no desire to return.
“No one should tell you what you are based on your appearance,” she said.
Burch told “Today” they have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if they could pursue something legally.