How to stand up for your natural hair rights

The Crown Act is a law that has been gaining traction across many different American states. While only 16 states have officially passed the law to date, the number is slowly increasing. On an even larger note, the federal government has set into motion for The Crown Act to become a federal law. Now many BIPOC are anticipating our federal and state laws to support and promote natural hair inclusion.

What is The Crown Act Exactly?

In early 2019 a band of organizations formed the CROWN Coalition, which stands for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” They aim to promote more inclusive and equitable opportunities for BIPOC in school and professional environments. They actively seek out anti-hair discrimination legislation for minorities. They do this in the hopes that those who choose to rock their natural hair do not have to live in fear of being put down for simply being their authentic selves.

The Crown Act stems from this organization. Around the time the CROWN Coalition was founded, California State Senator Holly Mitchell first introduced The CROWN Act. This is the first bill to exist that addresses the issues of hair discrimination at state and federal levels.

The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is supposed to protect workers from unfair treatment and harassment based on their identities, asserting their rights, and physical disability. The CROWN Act argues that this needs to be lawfully inclusive of race-related traits like hair texture, type, and hairstyle choice.

Anticipation for Equality

It is relatively clear among minority groups that there are still high workplace discrimination levels. Sadly, their hair is just one indicator of the prevalent discrimination toward BIPOC identities. To promote a healthy and inclusive work environment, judgment based on racial traits must end. Hopefully, The Crown Act is taken seriously this time, and our government decides it is worthy of being passed and enforced as federal law.