Puerto Rico’s governor has signed a law that prohibits discrimination against people wearing Afros, twists, braids and other hairstyles in the racially diverse U.S. territory.
FILE - A bronze statue of San Juan Bautista stands in front the Capitol building flanked by U.S. and Puerto Rican flags, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Caribbean island's governor on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, signed a law that prohibits discrimination against people wearing Afros, curls, locs, twists, braids and other hairstyles in the racially diverse U.S. territory.
While Puerto Rico’s laws and constitution protect against discrimination, along with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, a precedent was set in 2016 when a U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed a discrimination lawsuit and ruled that an employer’s no-dreadlock policy in Alabama did not violate Title VII., with several Puerto Ricans sharing examples of how they were discriminated against, including job offers conditional on haircuts.
With a population of 3.2 million, Puerto Rico has more than 1.6 million people who identify as being of two or more races, with nearly 230,000 identifying solely as Black, according to the U.S. Census.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Puerto Rico bans discrimination against those who wear Afros and other hairstyles on diverse islandPuerto Rico’s governor has signed a law that prohibits discrimination against people wearing Afros, twists, braids and other hairstyles in the racially diverse U.S. territory. The move was celebrated Wednesday by those who had long demanded explicit protection related to work, housing, education and public services.
Read more »
Chairman of federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico finances to step downThe chairman of a federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances has announced he is stepping down as the U.S. territory struggles to restructure more than $9 billion in debt held by its troubled power company. Wednesday's announcement by David Skeel came the same day U.S.
Read more »
Puerto Rico power company suspends $65M worth of maintenance projects, sparking outcryThe Associated Press
Read more »
Man charged in Philadelphia police officer shooting has shot at cops before, criminal record showsCriminal records show in 2011, Vazquez fired on officers in Puerto Rico after an alleged carjacking.
Read more »
Puerto Rico sues ex-officials accused of misusing $30 millionPuerto Rico’s Justice Department says it is suing at least 30 ex-government officials accused of corruption to recover more than $30 million in public funds. Among those sued is former legislator María Milagros Charbonier, who was sentenced in May to eight years in federal prison after being found guilty of theft, bribery and a kickback scheme.
Read more »
Puerto Rico issues an island-wide heat advisory for the first time as power outages persistMeteorologists have for the first time issued a heat advisory for the entire island of Puerto Rico as it struggles with chronic power outages.
Read more »