Court martial for ‘racial slur,’ striking superior begins at N.S. base
KENTVILLE, N.S. — A Nova Scotia court martial heard contrasting views from witnesses Monday on whether a white reservist’s use of the word “nappy” to describe a black co-worker’s hair was intended as a racial slur.
Cpl. Garett Rollman pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of striking his superior officer on the hand and two charges of “conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline.”
Prosecutors said Rollman made an inappropriate comment to civilian worker Cheryl Richard about black hair styles in a kitchen at the military base in Aldershot, N.S., in late February 2016.
Richard said Monday her co-worker told her about a video that he’d viewed where a black woman was sponging her hair due to it being “nappy.”