Black lawmakers reintroduce CROWN Act

Bicameral system with many black members upon On Wednesday, legislation providing protection against hair discrimination was reintroduced.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Sen. Cory Booker, along with Adwoa B. Asamoah, co-founder of the Crown Coalition, gathered outside the Capitol with their fellow members of Congress to “Respect for Natural Hair.” and “How to Create an Open World” (CROWN). Activities.

Watson-Coleman said lawmakers are reintroducing the bill for the simple reason that “no worker, no student, no human being, should be discriminated against because of the hair on their head.” He said that.

“You can’t control the texture of your hair any more than you can control the color of your skin,” says Watson Coleman. “Yet, black Americans are routinely subjected to discrimination based solely on the shape of their hair.”

2020 study Researchers from Michigan State University and Duke University found that black women with natural hair are often perceived as less professional and competent than black women with straight hair or white women with straight or curly hair. I discovered that. You are also less likely to be referred for a job interview.

More than 20% of black women have been sent home from work because of their hair. A third of black women under the age of 34 believe they have been rejected from a job interview because of their hair.

“Our hair plays an important role in our overall well-being, self-esteem, cultural identity, and personal expression,” said Watson Coleman. “Discrimination against black people is discrimination against black people. And we’re going to stop it.”

The crown method is based on an individual’s hair texture and hairstyles such as coiled or tightly curled hairstyles, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, Afros, and other hair styles commonly associated with race or nationality. We plan to prohibit discrimination based on style. Definition of racism.

“No one should face harassment or discrimination based on their natural hair,” Booker said. “The Crown Act is an effort to heal the systemic bias that teaches Black people that who they are is wrong.” said.

“Prejudice against black hair undermines an important foundation of our identity and cultural heritage,” he continued. “It is time to end the long storied history of implicit and explicit bias against natural hair. They must be able to freely express their cultural identity without fear.”

Rep. Stephen Horsford (D-Nev.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the bill is supported by his entire caucus.

“Whether it’s students like Darryl George, a Texas student who was locked out of the classroom for what’s on his head, not what’s in his head, black people across the country are forced to get their hair done. “As a woman, demanding acceptance, whether in the workplace or in any other setting, is wrong and must end,” Horsford said. “This is direct racism. And it has to end, and that’s what the Crown Act is all about.”

Those who gathered Wednesday were adamant that discrimination based on hair is racism.

Asamoah, co-founder of the CROWN Coalition, said hair discrimination is based on Eurocentric beauty standards and is itself anti-Black.

“In many ways, we know that anti-Black racism is pervasive,” she said. “Race is a social construct that we usually discuss, but racism is a very real thing, and we need to dismantle the rules and customs that reinforce racism, in this case physical and psychological A thoughtful and intentional approach is needed to alleviate the physical and economic harm caused by race-based hair discrimination. ”

This is not the first time Democrats have attempted to pass legislation.

In March 2022, the House of Representatives enacted the Nationwide CROWN Act. law It later stalled in the Senate.

Although federal legislation has not yet been enacted, more than 20 states have enacted Crown laws.

But different states have different levels of protection, and these disparities have made headlines in recent months.

Most notably, George, a Texas high school student, has been suspended from school since August. School officials argued that George’s hair fell below his eyebrows and earlobes, thereby violating the school district’s dress code, a claim his family disputes. They are currently suing the school district.

Black students are disciplined at four times the rate of other races and ethnicities; Research has found that 70% of all suspension disciplines are discretionary.Many of these are due to dress code violations, including “unapproved” hairstyles.

“Our babies need to be in a nurturing school environment that is suitable for their growth,” Asamoah said.

On Wednesday, Watson Coleman said the disciplinary action against George was not actually for the dress code violation, but “because he is a young black man living in a predominantly white school district.”

The federal Crown Act would provide research, statistics, and case law supporting the need to define and prohibit hair discrimination in the workplace and schools to enforce civil rights protections.

It would also provide clear definitions explaining the enforcement mechanisms of the bill.

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley emphasized that the Crown Act is also a public health law. health problems Black women face chemicals applied to their hair to assimilate.

But it also sends a message to Black Americans everywhere they belong, she added.

“Whether you are a student in a classroom, an employee at work, or the next Supreme Court justice, you belong wherever you are.”