Join us and the CROWN Coalition to pass the CROWN Act in all US states. Drive change to end race-based hair discrimination today. You can sign it here.

We want all of our beauty to be welcome in all places and institutions. Narrow beauty standards make it difficult for women to freely celebrate their own beauty. While all women experience pressure to conform to certain standards of appearance, society’s bias has resulted in unfair judgment and discrimination against Black women based on hair texture and protective hairstyles, including braids, locs, and twists, that are inherent to their race.

That’s why we co-founded the CROWN Coalition to advance anti-hair discrimination legislation called The CROWN Act. The CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, is a law that prohibits discrimination based on hair texture and hairstyle.

How the CROWN Act is enacting change

While there is still a lot of work to do, there has been progress. The CROWN Coalition sponsored The CROWN Act (SB 188) in California, introduced by Senator Holly J. Mitchell. California was the first state to sign The CROWN Act into law on July 3, 2019. With support from the CROWN Coalition, the bill is now law in 7 other states (CO, MD, NY, NJ, VA, WA, CT).

In March 2021, the CROWN Act federal legislation was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman and in the Senate by Sen. Cory Booker.

Once signed into law, these bills ensure that traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles, are protected from discrimination in the workplace and in K-12 public and charter schools.

The CROWN Coalition continues to galvanize support for legislation to end hair discrimination federally and in all 50 states. Our CROWN petition has over 255,000 signatures so far, too, and you can sign it here.