Tracy, I don't what you are saying when you say there is no such thing as "black hair." There are substantive differences between caucasian, asian, and african hair. I take black to mean of African descent. Maybe that is where we differ on this word? L'oreal, pantene, and clairol all have websites where they show the differences between the hair of different races. I think you have to justify its lack of existence against scientific evidence saying African hair has less sulfur proteins, has a different curl pattern, etc. which I can point you to if you would like.
And as for saying that hair texture is not an aspect of race.
"Discrimination on the basis of an immutable characteristic associated with race, such as skin color,
hair texture, or certain facial features violates Title VII, even though not all members of the race share the same characteristic."
I'm getting this from the U.S. government's web page on Equal Opportunity that clarifies Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-race.html You can find the same quote on sites ranging from lawhelp.com to
www.chicagolegalnet.com. I do not believe that what you wrote about skin color being the only legal mark of race is true or should be true or that discrimination based on hair texture does not exist.
If a black woman went into a white salon where anti-discrimination laws are applicable and they refused to style her hair in any way because she would not permanently alter her hair texture, she would have a case. I don't see why it should be any different for black salons. The reason I would want them to need to make the attempt is not because I want to throw a "foot-stomping, kicking and screaming tantrum," but because I believe that people realizing that they need to make the attempt to treat unprocessed hair will make it more likely for them to want to learn how to do it well.
For me this comes down to: If I were to come to a situation where no one would even try to do my hair in any way because I refused to permanently alter its texture, I would believe that should be morally and legally wrong. You would not. Maybe we should just agree to disagree.