On July 3, 2019, the first legislative step was taken to abolish discrimination against women’s natural hair. Whether you believe it or not, there are still many organizations and educational institutions that can legally send home a woman for wearing her natural hair. The Crown Act was first signed in California by Governor Gavin Newsom to prohibit this abusive and racist behavior. New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Colorado, Washington, and Maryland made the move afterward.
The CROWN Act stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. The campaign for this legislative adjustment is run by the CROWN Coalition. This movement was founded by Dove, National Urban League, Color of Change and the Western Center of Law and Poverty.
"The study also found that black women were 50% more likely to report being dismissed from work or know of a case where another black woman was dismissed from work because of their hair."
The fuel for this movement came from research funded by Dove. This 2019 survey found that African American women were 80% more likely to change their natural hair to fit in with social expectations at work than a white woman. The study also found that black women were 50% more likely to report being dismissed from work or know of a case where another black woman was dismissed from work because of their hair.
On September 21, 2020, the CROWN Coalition announced that the United States of America House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act. It has since been passed on to the Senate for their consideration. What does that mean? This means that there is a chance that the CROWN Act will be applicable to all 50 states in America. At least 51 of the 100 senators must vote in favor of the act. After this is done, the President of the United States of America must then make the final decision on whether or not the CROWN Act becomes enforced on a national level.
America is one step closer to ending discrimination against natural hair. This is worthy of celebration; however, the fact that we have to fight for the end of discrimination highlights the sad state of America.
