Defense

Influential African-American women write to Hagel

Sixteen black female members of Congress are pushing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to change Army regulations that ban hairstyles frequently worn by minority wo...

Federal News Radio Custom Media@WTOPWFEDcustom

April 11, 2014 2:00 am

< a min read

Sixteen black female members of Congress are pushing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to change Army regulations that ban hairstyles frequently worn by minority women in the military. The Associated Press reports the members of the Congressional Black Caucus signed a letter Thursday to Hagel, stating that the changes are “discriminatory rules targeting soldiers who are women of color.” They say that references in the rules calling hairstyles worn mostly by black women “unkempt” and “matted” are offensive and show a lack of “cultural sensitivity.”