Security guard accuses supervisors of crossing 'a racial line' with talk about his hair

Does the security guard in the headline photo look "unprofessional"to you?

Some of AinabAbdullahi's GardaWorldcolleagues thought his hairstyle wasn't the right look for his jobata building in Toronto's financial district last month.

After going through whathe considers a humiliating and racially-charged conversation that day about his natural hair, he says his employer needs anti-bias training, similarto what Starbucks hadlast month, and says he will be filing a human rights complaint.

It is a racial line because as people of African descent, we have a certain texture to our hair and it's something I cannot personally control.- AinabAbdullahi, security guard for GardaWorld

The 21 year-old has worked for GardaWorld for more than three years and says his hair hasn't beenan issue, until now.

He has it cut once every two weeks, he says, running his fingers through the longer, naturally curly part on top of his head.

That part he keeps slicked back in a tight bun.

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Two weeks ago, before his 6 a.m. shift, he worehis hair in hisusual style,which isin compliance with GardaWorld's uniform policy.

He said the shift turned sour as soon as he walked into theScotiaPlaza buildingdowntown to meet with his GardaWorldteam.

"They did, like, a dirty stare," he said.

"They started talking about my hair, saying the man bun is not professional," he said.

Two GardaWorldemployees, the night supervisor and the site supervisor, and eventually another guardjoined in to talk about what to do about his hair,recalled Abdullahi.

One wanted to see his hair down.

"I was like, 'Well, you're going to see my curls, then,and if you don't like this, you're going to hate that," he said.

As he predicted, after Abullahi took his hair down, theyasked him to tie it back up.

He told CBC Toronto he felt they were trying to "whiten" his appearance.

'Try to get shorter hair,' guard heard saying on audio recording

Abdullahiwas then tasked with checking permits in the building's parking garage, which gave him time to reflect on the conversation.

The more he thought about it, the morehe felt it was racist.

"It is a racial line because of peopleof African descent, we have a certain texture to our hair and it's something I cannot personally control," he said.

"To conform to your standards [requires] me, what, shaving it off completely?"

About an hour and a half later, he was called in for a second meeting with the other security guards.

Security guards caught talking about colleague's hair

6 years ago

Duration 0:21

GardaWorld employees are heard discussing what Ainab Abdullahi should do about his hair in an audio recording.

He recorded it on his phone and provided the audio to CBCToronto.

"This is my hair so, not sure what I can do," Abdullahi tells them on the audio.

He said they werediscussing the possibility of sending him home or to work at adifferent building.

"Try to get shorter hair," one of his colleagues says on the recording.

Abdullahialleges he was then sent to work in an area of the building where he wouldn'tbe seen by the public as much.

It was about the blazer, notthe hair, GardaWorldsays

CBCToronto sent photos ofAbdullahi'shair that day to a representative at GardaWorldand theyconfirmed that hisbun was within their standards.

"Mr.Abdullahi'shairstyle in the photos is compliant withGardaWorld'spolicy," wrote spokesperson Isabelle Panelli.

She said the problem that day was thatAbdullahiwas supposed to be wearing a blazer to work atScotiaPlaza.

"He was relocated to an area on the site where the blazer is not mandatory."

ButAbdullahishowedCBCToronto theemail he was sent from GardaWorld's scheduling department confirming his shift and the only instructionwas to "wear a proper uniform with black shoes."

Usually, he says, when a blazer is required, it says so in the shift email.

Panelli went on to tout the diversity among the company'sstaff.

GardaWorldemployees at theScotiabankPlaza site are an excellent example of our worldwide workforce diversity.- Isabelle Panelli, GardaWorldspokesperson

"GardaWorldemployees at the Scotiabank Plaza site are an excellent example of our worldwide workforce diversity," she wrote in the emailed statement.

She ended the statement saying the firmwill investigate the matter.

But thatdoesn't satisfy Abdullahi.

"I'm going to twist their arm to get an honest response," he said.