BLACK HAIR DISCRIMINATION CASE TO GO TO MEDIATION

Montreal, August 6, 2015 — The case involving Ms. Lettia McNickle who complained of discrimination in employment by Madisons New York Grill & Bar, the restaurant chain, due to her race and gender, will go to mediation as both parties accept to explore possibilities of settlement.

Last March, Ms. McNickle went public about being subjected to demeaning and differential treatments at work due to her cornrow hairstyle, which is closely associated with her race, gender and cultural backgrounds.

She mandated CRARR to file a complaint on her behalf with the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission. If mediation fails and the case proceeds with an investigation and an eventual decision in favor of Ms. Nickle, it can become the first case in Quebec (or even in Canada) involving discrimination in employment against Black women due to their hairstyle which closely reflects their racial and cultural heritage.

In the U.S., several similar cases have gone through the courts, one of which is presently before the U.S. Court of Appeals.