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Company Makes Offer to Black Job Applicant Who Filed “CROWN Act” Lawsuit

Last month, Jeffrey Thornton, through his attorney Adam Kent, filed the allegations against Encore Global, LLC, in San Diego County Superior Court. The lawsuit asserted that Thornton was denied employment because of his locs. The lawsuit gave California’s “CROWN Act, signed into law in 2019, its first legal test.

Published

4 years ago

December 12, 2021

Oakland Post

Jeffrey Thornton speaking at a press conference sponsored by the People’s Association of Justice Advocates who filed the suit against Encore Global last month. Photo is from a Zoom screen shot.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ | California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

A Southern California company recently made an employment offer to a Black job applicant it allegedly rejected because of his natural hairstyle.

Encore Global, which is registered in Delaware but does business in California, released a written statement saying the issue was a “misunderstanding” and the company “regrets any miscommunication.”

“Maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace where every individual has a full sense of belonging and feels empowered to reach their potential are core values of our business. These values are key to fueling innovation, collaboration and driving better outcomes for our team members, customers, and the communities we serve,” the company said in a statement.

The lawsuit gave California’s “CROWN Act, signed into law in 2019, its first legal test.

Shane Harris, president of the People’s Association of Justice Advocates, called the company’s alleged action “mistreatment,” “hair discrimination” and the “violation of the California State ‘CROWN Act’ (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair).”

“The filing is believed to be the first filing of its kind noting a violation of the California Law ‘CROWN Act,” Harris continued. “The bill authored by then California State Sen. Holly Mitchell sought to prohibit employers and public schools from banning natural Black hairstyles, including braids, cornrows, and locs.

Mitchell now serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

“We regret any miscommunication with Mr. Thornton regarding our standard grooming policies — which he appears to fully meet, and we have made him an offer of employment,” Encore’s statement continued. “We are continuously looking to learn and improve, and we are reviewing our grooming policies to avoid potential miscommunications in the future.”

The CROWN Act, also known as Senate Bill (SB) 188, ensures protection against discrimination based on hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles in the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the California Education Code.

Thornton said he was discriminated against in an interview for the technical supervisor position at Encore Global, an events management firm.

According to the lawsuit, an Encore hiring manager informed him on November 1 that he would have to trim his hair to be hired for the position. The locs had to be cut up above the ears, away from the eyes, and with clearance from the shoulders.

Thornton’s hair is styled in locs, clean-shaven around the sides and the back, and is about five inches long on the top of his head, Harris said.

“Many Black employees, including your staff, members, will tell you if given the chance that the struggle to maintain what society has deemed a ‘professional image’ while protecting the health and integrity of their hair remains a defining and paradoxical struggle in their work experience, not usually shared by their non-Black peers,” Mitchell stated in April 2019 when she first introduced the Assembly bill. “Any law that sanctions a job description that immediately excludes me from a position, not because of my capabilities or experience but because of my hair, is long overdue for reform.”

Thornton’s relationship with Encore Global goes back to 2016 when he first started working with the company in Orlando, Florida.

In July 2021, after being furloughed by the company for about a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Thornton decided to move to San Diego after he was notified that his company would be opening new positions up in the region.

“I started my locs journey in 2019,” Thornton said.

“If it wasn’t a problem in Florida, it shouldn’t be a problem in California, right?” he said during a news conference in San Diego. “I expected that I was to remove my ear gauges, that’s not a problem. I’d be willing to trim my facial hair. But I wasn’t prepared to be told that I would need to cut my hair in order to comply with Encore’s standards.”

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.