School humiliated black worker by having her white colleagues sign a petition attacking her natural hair: lawsuit

A North Carolina woman is suing the Career and Technical Education Department of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, reports the Charlotte Observer, after she faced harassment from coworkers about her hair.

Her lawsuit contends that employees called Kimberly Tigner's hair unprofessional, creating a hostile work environment for Tigner, who is African-American.

“The harassment Ms. Tigner faced was brutal and relentless, including incidents ranging from mildly insulting to dehumanizing,” according to a brief filed Wednesday.

The school district has asked the court to dismiss the charges, pointing out that the company does not officially discriminate.

She said she was a target of “racially-motivated criticism and bullying” by a boss, allegedly passed around a petition calling her hair unprofessional. She allegedly claimed to have “black friends, so it was okay for her to say what she did,” according to her complaint.