Abercrombie And Fitch Analysis

Cynthia Andrzejczyk, author of “Civil Rights vs. the Abercrombie and Fitch ‘Look’” and “The Limits of Free Speech in Academia,” dove into the world of free speech and civil rights. Eleven years ago, Ward Churchill found himself fighting for his First Amendment rights when light was shed on an article he wrote concerning the terrorism attack by Al-Qaeda that occurred on September 11, 2001 in New York (Andrzejczyk, “The Limits of Free Speech in Academia” 111). Churchill had accepted a symposium in New York at Hamilton College, but a negative response from the article led to the symposium’s cancellation (Andrzejczyk, “The Limits” 111). Many people were upset about the words Churchill typed up and posted. It grew so out of hand that citizens nationwide …show more content…
Eight years ago, Elauf was interested in getting a job and applied at Abercrombie and Fitch. However, she was turned down for the position of sales representative because of the fact that she was wearing a hijab, which went against Abercrombie and Fitch’s store rule about wearing any head wear (Andrzejczyk, “Civil Rights vs. the Abercrombie and Fitch ‘Look’” 99). Abercrombie and Fitch did not try to accommodate Elauf and her religious beliefs, but simply turned her down for any possible position at its store. During the interview, she was never asked about her religion, but it was assumed she was Muslim because Elauf was wearing a hijab. Elauf did not let the discriminatory actions of the popular clothing brand stop her and turned to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for legal support (Andrzejczyk, “Civil Rights” 99). With the help an attorney, Elauf won her lawsuit against Abercrombie and Fitch on the grounds of a violation of the First Amendment and a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Andrzejczyk, “Civil Rights”