Employees of an Upper East Side beauty salon allegedly refused service to a Black customer and her young daughter, telling the pair they don’t do their “kind of hair,” according to a racial discrimination lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan.
Workers at national chain Ulta Beauty’s East 86th Street store denied service to the mother and daughter, citing their hair “type” and “texture,” inexperience with “YOUR kind of hair,” and after admonishing them for not stating in advance “what kind of hair you have,” according to the complaint.
The lawsuit, filed by Manhattan residents Lauren Smith and her 7-year-old daughter, identified only as C.M., alleges their locks were “completely covered” during the exchange with the workers, and no employee ever actually inspected their hair. The complaint called the stated refusals a pretext for unlawful racial discrimination…