The sad and infuriating truth is that even in 2021 we are still forced to debate whether the hair that grows naturally out of some peoples’ heads is “appropriate,” “professional,” or “acceptable,” especially for Black and brown people — women in particular.
Hair discrimination is real and the consequences have resulted in economic loss, lack of professional and social opportunity, and, frankly, dehumanization for the most impacted people.
That’s why PoliticaCT supports House Bill #6376, An Act Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (C.R.O.W.N.), being considered in the 2021 Connecticut State Legislature. The bill is sponsored by the legislature’s Labor & Public Employees committee (co-chaired by State Representative Robyn Porter and State Senator Julie Kushner, 2018-PoliticaCT-endorsee) and co-sponsored by 2020-PoliticaCT endorsee State Representative Kate Farrar and 15 other legislators.
The CROWN Act is a a national campaign launched in 2019 to ensure protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles. The goal is to extend statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools. Read more about the CROWN Coalition.
Black women bear the greatest burdens of hair discrimination:
- Black women’s hair is 3.4 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional.
- Black women are 30% more likely to be made aware of a formal workplace appearance policy.
- Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair.
- Black women are 83% more likely to report being judged more harshly on her looks than other women.
- Black women are 80% more likely to change their natural hair to fit in at their office.
This legislation will prohibit employers from enforcing grooming policies that appear “race neutral” on their face but have the intended (or even unintended) consequence of disproportionately impacting people of color, especially Black and brown women. The CROWN Act will encourage cultural and racial sensitivity within the workplace and other settings by protecting people who wear natural hair, protective styles, or other hairstyles or hair accessories that reflect their personal identity and racial heritage.
Failure to pass the CROWN Act would essentially be a nod to supporting white supremacy and the deeply entrenched racist lie that Eurocentric beauty and personal grooming practices are the highest standards to which we all should aspire, regardless of our racial and ethnic backgrounds. The CROWN Act is a powerful tool for dismantling white supremacy in the workplace, even when that hate masquerades as a “race neutral” policy.