Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2116, the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act of 2022 by a vote of 235-189. The legislation, introduced by Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of hair texture or hairstyles commonly associated with a particular race or national origin. 

"I am proud that the House of Representatives came together to pass the CROWN Act today," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler. "This legislation explicitly bans hair-based discrimination, which studies have found disproportionately impacts Black Americans. While many states have taken action to address this issue, this is a matter of basic justice that demands a national solution by Congress. I thank Representative Watson Coleman for championing this important bill, and I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to vote on this legislation without delay."

“Natural Black hair is often deemed ‘unprofessional’ simply because it does not conform to white beauty standards,” said Representative Watson Coleman. “Discrimination against Black hair is discrimination against Black people. I’m proud to have played a part to ensure that we end discrimination against people for how their hair grows out of their head.” 

BACKGROUND: 

According to a 2019 study conducted by the JOY Collective, Black people are "disproportionately burdened by policies and practices in public places, including the workplace, that target, profile, or single them out for natural hair styles" and other hairstyles traditionally associated with their race, like braids, locs, and twists. The study also found that 80 percent of Black women believed that they had to change their hair from its natural state to "fit in at the office" and that they were 83 percent more likely to be judged harshly because of their looks.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued guidance interpreting Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit hair-based discrimination as a form of race discrimination in certain circumstances; however, several federal courts have erroneously rejected this interpretation. This CROWN Act fixes these courts’ misinterpretation by explicitly prohibiting discrimination on the basis of hair texture or hairstyles commonly associated with a particular race or national origin in areas of the law where discrimination on the basis of race or national origin is already prohibited.

On September 29th, the House Judiciary Committee passed H.R. 2116, the CROWN Act by a vote of 23-15. On February 28th, Republicans in the House of Representatives blocked passage of the bill, claiming that this anti-discrimination legislation was simply a "bad hair bill."