Hair discrimination is a common problem in the workplace for black men and women in the corporate environment. After many volunteered to share their experiences of workplace discrimination, politicians began enacting new laws in various cities across the country to protect Black Americans with natural hairstyles. This week the House of Representatives announced that it had passed the CROWN Act nationwide.
Earlier this year, a group of politicians including Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), And Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) Passed the new legislation to protect black women introduced discrimination in the workplace and discourage companies from enforcing policies preventing black workers from wearing their natural hairstyles while at work.
The motion for the bill began in 2019 when a coalition of beauty companies, including Dove, the National Urban League, and Color of Change, came together to create a bill that should protect black Americans from this type of discrimination and prejudice.
Many took to Twitter to express their joy at the milestone, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Miss.), Who wrote in a message that the move was “long overdue” but that it was an essential step in combating the Racial discrimination. “For too long, black women have been punished for simply existing as themselves – that ends today.”
The Volkshaus has just passed the #CROWNAct. I am proud to have put this legislation in place and I thank my colleagues @RepBarbaraLee @RepMarciaFudge @RepPressley for their contributions to this bill and for wearing their own crowns with pride and dignity. pic.twitter.com/NE89Ws65eH
– Representative Cedric Richmond (@RepRichmond) September 21, 2020
The bill is now being passed to the Senate, where a majority vote of 100 U.S. officials is required to approve the bills incorporated into the bill. Several states, including California, Washinton, Maryland, Colorado, New Jersey, and New York, have already passed the law at the state level.
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