With its bigotry now coming before the Supreme Court, Abercrombie & Fitch is still defending itself for controversial hiring practices. In 2010, an Oklahoma Abercrombie Kids store rejected Muslim job applicant Samantha Elauf because her hijab (head scarf) was deemed inappropriate for the company's dress code. Despite a change in dress code policy that allows hijabs, Abercrombie ludicrously states that it can't be held liable for its decision because Elauf never explicitly said she wore the scarf for religious purposes.
Abercrombie & Fitch has a rich history of sexism, racism and other forms of discrimination. In 2002, its "Wong Brothers" t-shirt shocked the Asian community. In a 2006 interview, ex-CEO Mike Jeffries admitted a bias against plus-sized customers. And throughout the company's history, employees of color were rarely assigned to work up front.
Abercrombie & Fitch is continuing to find loopholes and excuses to defend its discriminatory and offensive business practices. When potential consumers like you speak out, corporations listen -- tell the company to learn from its mistakes and enforce a consistent anti-discrimination policy in all its stores!
We, the undersigned, are concerned that Abercrombie & Fitch is still defending itself for controversial hiring practices. As you know, in 2010, an Oklahoma Abercrombie Kids store rejected Muslim job applicant Samantha Elauf because her hijab (head scarf) was deemed inappropriate for the company's dress code. Despite a change in dress code policy that allows hijabs, your company has stated that it can't be held liable for its decision because Elauf never explicitly said she wore the scarf for religious purposes.
We believe that Abercrombie & Fitch should use ex-CEO Mike Jeffries' retirement as an opportunity to make a fresh start and move forward from your controversial past. We respectfully call on you to stop fighting against Elauf and instead work to enforce a strong anti-discrimination policy in all your locations.
