An act that would ban hair discrimination is on its way to becoming law. On Friday, the House passed the CROWN Act in a 235-189 vote.
H.R. 2116, was introduced by Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. The act prohibits “discrimination based on an individual’s texture or style of hair.” CROWN stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act.
What is the CROWN Act?
The legislation states “people of African descent are deprived of educational and employment opportunities because they are adorned with natural or protective hairstyles in which hair is tightly coiled or tightly curled, or worn in locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, or Afros.”
It adds that discrimination is often “reflected in school and workplace policies and practices that bar natural or protective hairstyles commonly worn by people of African descent.”
“Here we are today, standing on behalf of those individuals, whether my colleagues on the other side recognize it or not, are discriminated against as children in school, as adults who are trying to get jobs, individuals who are trying to get housing, individuals who simply want access to public accommodations and to be beneficiaries of federally-funded programs,” Watson said in her remarks on the House floor Friday morning.
“And why are they denied these opportunities? Because there are folks in this society who get to make those decisions who think because your hair is kinky, it is braided, it is in knots or it is not straight and blonde and light brown, that you somehow are not worthy of access to those issues.”
“Well,” she added, “that’s discrimination.”
GOOD NEWS: The #CROWNAct has passed the House! Today, America got one step closer to ending racial discrimination.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where I hope my colleagues will pass it without delay. pic.twitter.com/jBqoSr9qaN
— Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (@RepBonnie) March 18, 2022
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Next step
The bill will now go to the Senate, in which Coleman tweeted, she hopes her “colleagues will pass it without delay.”
Earlier this week, the Biden administration released a statement expressing their support for the Crown Act and “looks forward to working with the Congress to enact this legislation and ensure that it is effectively implemented.”
More than a dozen states, including New York, New Jersey, Washington, and Maryland. California was the first state to pass the act.
