The CROWN Act stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair and is in legislation to prevent discrimination based on hairstyles with texture within the employment and housing sectors. In this newsletter we are checking in on the progress of the bill through the House and Senate and the why behind the legislation.
HOW THE CROWN ACT IS TRYING TO END HAIR DISCRIMINATION
"The CROWN Act was created by the beauty company Dove, National Urban League, Color of Change and Western Center on Law & Poverty, all working in partnership to stop unfair judgment and discrimination against Black women based on natural hair.

According to the website, the acronym stands for "Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair". A petition right now has over 400,000 signatures to stop racial discrimination based on hairstyles. Sen. Holly J. Mitchell first introduced the CROWN Act in the state of California in January 2019." Learn more
"WHEN WILL I FEEL PROFESSIONAL ENOUGH?"
"As the editorial assistant for Glamour, I get invited to a lot of events in the beauty space. A few weeks ago I received an invitation to Dove and LinkedIn’s #BlackHairIsProfessional event, in celebration of Black hair and Black women. Free food with my favorite group of people (Black women) during my favorite time of the year (Black History Month)? Sign me up. I was super excited until I saw there was an opportunity to get my headshot taken. Immediately, my first thought was: What the hell do I do with my hair?
This is a thought I had in 2023—four years after the CROWN Act was passed as a bill into the US House of Representatives. An acronym for Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair, the CROWN Act protects against discrimination of natural hair and protective hairstyles like dreads, locs, braids, Bantu knots, and more. Although the CROWN Act is law in my home state of New York, my first instinct was to control and tame my hairstyle. Should I pull my hair into a sleek high bun? Low bun? Do I have two hours to blow-dry my hair? Learn more
2/3 OF BLACK WOMEN CHANGE THEIR HAIR BEFORE A JOB INTERVIEW
"Sixty-six percent of Black women alter their hair for a job interview, 41% of whom straighten their hair, according to the CROWN 2023 Workplace Research Study co-commissioned by Dove and LinkedIn released Feb. 16.
Across the U.S., at least 20 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other municipalities have passed laws prohibiting hair-based discrimination. And there has been an unsuccessful push for a federal Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. The act passed in March 2022 in the U.S. House of Representatives but not in the U.S. Senate. " Learn more
Comments