Booker Applauds Bipartisan Vote in House to Pass CROWN Act

Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded the bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives to pass the CROWN Act. Booker first introduced the Senate version of the CROWN Act in 2019.

Although existing federal law prohibits some forms of hair discrimination as a type of racial or national origin discrimination, some federal courts have narrowly construed those protections in a way that permits schools, workplaces, and federally funded institutions to promote anti-Blackness and discriminate against people of African descent who wear certain types of natural or protective hairstyles. The Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act changes that by making clear that discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles associated with people of African descent, including hair that is tightly coiled or tightly curled, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros, is a prohibited form of racial or national origin discrimination.

“I applaud House Republicans and Democrats joining together today and passing legislation that will allow individuals, especially within the Black community, to wear their hair proudly without fear or prejudice,” said Senator Booker. “In this country, implicit and explicit biases against natural hair are deeply ingrained in workplace norms and society at large and continue the legacy of dehumanizing Black people. No one should be harassed, punished, or fired for their natural hairstyles that are true to themselves and their cultural heritage. Fairness and equality should not be partisan issues, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to support this important bill.”

Pervasive discrimination against natural hair also remains a significant barrier to the professional advancement of people of color, especially Black women. For instance, a study found that Black women are 50 percent more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair, and 80 percent of Black women feel the need to change their hair from its natural state to fit in at the office. The same study found that Black women’s hair is three times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional.

In June 2021, Oregon became the 14th state to pass a law banning hair discrimination, joining a group that includes New Jersey, California, and Nebraska. Versions of the CROWN Act are currently being considered in dozens of other states.

U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), along with Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Gwen Moore (D-WI), introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

The following Senators are co-sponsors of the CROWN Act: Hirono (D-HI), Brown (D-OH), Coons (D-DE), Warren (D-MA), Markey (D-MA), Baldwin (D-WI), Smith (D-MN), Murphy (D-CT), Padilla (D-CA), Van Hollen (D-MD), Durbin (D-IL), Stabenow (D-MI), Cardin (D-MD), Blumenthal (D-CT), Menendez (D-NJ), Duckworth (D-IL), Warnock (D-GA) and Sanders (I-VT).

Full text of the bill can be viewed here.