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From how many states have passed the law to how you can help.
Olivia Hancock is an editor at Byrdie and has over five years of experience writing for digital media platforms.
Updated on June 05, 2024 03:46PM Reviewed by:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Nigella_Miller-aaa748f941e8406bbdceee2bef913a66.jpg)
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In This Article
The Legal Progress of The CROWN Act The CROWN Act is LawFor Black people, hair isn't "just hair." Our hair is our crown, and the celebration of it as such is deeply woven into our ancestral history. But, often, the coils, locs, and braids we proudly wear are deemed "unkempt" and "unprofessional" for public spaces. Black hair has been unjustly policed everywhere, from offices to classrooms, for decades. In an effort to eliminate hair discrimination, many cities and states have begun passing legislation that addresses this issue.
In June 2019, California made headlines for becoming the first state to outlaw the racial discrimination of individuals based on their natural hairstyles. The bill, SB 188, passed the state Senate in April and passed in a unanimous vote by California’s state assembly on June 27, 2019. The law, also known as the CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair), states, "In a society in which hair has historically been one of many determining factors of a person’s race, and whether they were a second class citizen, hair today remains a proxy for race. Therefore, hair discrimination targeting hairstyles associated with race is racial discrimination."
Vernon François, a celebrity hairstylist who routinely works with celebrities including Lupita Nyong'o and Serena Williams, has long been an outspoken advocate for celebrating the beauty of textured hair. When the law passed in 2019, he told us, "This is a positive step in the right direction, but we should not become complacent with this act. There is a lot that needs to be done." Rather than pat ourselves on the back, François explains that we all still need to take a hard look at the nuances around discrimination. "We need to enlighten those who may not be familiar with how liberating it is to be free of someone else's ideas on how they should be wearing their hair," he says.
The CROWN Act also addresses the United States’ history of anti-Black racism and the shortcomings of the previous anti-discrimination legislature. “The history of our nation is riddled with laws and societal norms that equated "Blackness," and the associated physical traits, for example, dark skin, kinky and curly hair to a badge of inferiority, sometimes subject to separate and unequal treatment," the bill reads.
The measure notes that while Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on race, it only protected against discrimination against afros. The praise-worthy impact of California’s ban is that it will protect all presentations of natural hair—including braids, twists, locs, and knots—from discrimination in the workplace and K-12 public schools.
Ahead, we break down the current status of The CROWN Act in all 50 states and how you can help the CROWN Coalition end hair discrimination in workplaces and schools. We'll frequently be updating this guide as The CROWN Act legislation progresses in each state.
On March 18, 2022, The CROWN Act was passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives but blocked by the Senate. If the bill is one day reintroduced by the House, enacted by the Senate, and signed into law by the President, it will prohibit hair texture and style discrimination at the federal level.
There are a few ways you can help end hair discrimination in the workplace and public schools:
