Lawsuit accuses cosmetolegists of race discrimination

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A woman's lawsuit accusing Dillard's hair salon in Tuscaloosa of making blacks pay more than whites for the same service has raised questions of racial bias in the otherwise chatty, pleasant world of coiffures.

Many Alabama salons say factors such as hair length and thickness, not race, determine the charge. But Debbie Deavers Sturvisant of Springville, who filed the suit against Dillard's, alleges the salon charged her $35 to set and wash her hair while white women pay $20.

Vaughan Thomas, who joined the suit, said she had the same experience at Dillard's in Montgomery and tape-recorded her conversation with the stylists. Upon questioning the price, Thomas said, she was told that it takes longer for ethnic hair to dry and more conditioners are used.

Dillard's has said it does not base its charges upon race. In a spot check of Alabama salons, stylists had similar comments. Floor manager Lindsey Graffeo of Hair Reflections in Birmingham said charges are based on the hair's length and thickness, while a stylist at Headstart in Montgomery said they charge the same price for black and white hairstyles.

Why not just shop around, ladies?