Stefanae Coleman noticed people looking at her differently, but she didn’t mind. It was her first time wearing a hijab to work. She expected some stares.
She did not expect to be sent home after being told by a manager that Chicken Express uniform policy forbids the religious headscarf.
The owner of the Saginaw franchise where Coleman works quickly apologized for the manager’s behavior, but Coleman says she’s still uncomfortable going back to work.
“I can’t deal with being in this environment anymore,” she said. “I’m just trying to keep my head held high.”
When she showed up for work with her hijab Monday, the manager reminded her to get her uniform ready for her spot behind a cash register: Tuck in your shirt, he told her, and remove anything that’s not branded with the Chicken Express logo.
She suspected he was referring to her hijab, but she didn’t take it off. What happened next was captured on cellphone video that Coleman posted to Twitter.
It’s pretty clear cut that you have to give that reasonable accommodation,” said Marwa Elbially, a Plano attorney who specializes in civil liberties of American Muslims. “Her wearing a scarf on her head doesn’t keep her from doing her job.”
The franchise owner, Brett Minnehan, called Coleman to apologize on Tuesday, and even invited her to help create additional training to make sure similar incidents wouldn’t happen again.