Here is what we know about the Crown Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act). The ACT was introduced in the Senate March 22, 2021. It passed in the House March 18, 2022. It prohibits discrimination based on an individual's texture or style of hair. For example, students, employees, and housing applicants who wear locs, braids. twists, afros, bantu knots, and various color of hair are proteceted from discrimination by public and privates school administrators and staff, landords, housing authorities and management companies, and employers, under this law. Since the ACT has not passed in the Senate, it is not law in all states. It is however, law in 18 states and various local manicipalities around various states.
You may be wondering why we even need a law to protect us from discrimination based on how we wear our hair. You may say that your hair is what you were born with, and therefore, one cannot control what its natural hair texture looks like, You may even go as far as thinking that how a person wears their hair is a form of free speech under our very own U.S. Constitution. But, woven into the very thread of the first laws set forth by the United States, is antiquated language which inadvertently effects certain U.S. citizens in a negative way. Laws are always open for interpretation, and depending on the person or persons responsible for understanding and upholding the law, one can swing right or left in their views and opinions of the law. The law, as it is written, is sometimes flawed.
But, now that we have the CROWN ACT, with a purpose of preventing classifying indivuduals on the basis of race and national origin, with skin color, hair texture and hair style falling in line with this classification. The ACT is intended to prevent discrimination based on stereotyping. One can easily be stereotyped from a simple hair style, that can be worn by one person as a protective style, worn by another person as a way to express themselves, and finally, viewed by others as ghetto, ugly and unprofessional. People's crowns were given to them at birth, and not by some inherited act or action to symbolize status and class. Their crown was given to them by THE HIGHEST POWER to accept as beautiful and unflawed. It should not be open for interpretation of how and why a person's hair is their legal right, but unfortunately it is.
I have been writing about natural hair since 2012, but, I started my own natural hair journey in 2010, only after realizing the chemicals I had been treating my hair with was not making me more beautiful, but moreso, transforming the natural hair pattern, causing damage and breakage. Even after deciding to wear my natural hair, I would still interview with my hair flat-ironed instead of in an afro or braid style, but then I had an epiphany, and the brain-washing for me ended permanently.
What I have come to realize is that it is not our obligation as U.S. citizens to conform to unjust laws, policies and practices, but to challenge the status quo to where we force the creation of new laws which should protect us and give us a voice where we once were silenced. It is nothing new to want to belong and be treated equally. It is also not surprising that we have more companies focusing on DEI&B (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging). More companies are understaing that being proactive is more cost-efficient that being reactive to its unfair practices. I do believe that with the full passing of the CROWN ACT in all states, we will see a decline in discriminatory policies surrounding hair, but only until it has become law in all states, we cannot celebrate just yet.
I would love for your comments and thoughts on the CROWN ACT, this post or natural hair in general. I especially want to see stories of some of the issues you have faced in the workplace, at school or in housing and business in general.
About the Author: Tam Curley became a certified EEO Investigator through Preempt, Corp. in January 2020. She had her own run-in with discriminary practices in education, employment and housing all while residing in the state of Mississippi. She has never stopped fighting for equality in education, employment and housing, and as a compliance and investigative professional with experience in the federal, state and private sectors, policy and law is something she became just as versed in as she did with writing, editing and publishing.