CROWN Act would bar discrimination of race-based hairstyles in York
York City Councilmember Edquina Washington is set to introduce The CROWN Act, a piece of legislation designed to prevent discrimination against race-based hairstyling.
CROWN stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” and was created in 2019 by the Dove corporation and CROWN Coalition with then-California State Sen. Holly J. Mitchell.
The act, which Washington plans to present to council at tonight’s meeting, would prohibit discrimination based on race-based hairstyles in the workplace, defined in the act as the denial of employment, housing and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles. This includes braids, locs, twists, and knots, in workplaces and public schools.
The initial data for the study conducted by the JOY Collective, a brand marketing team based in Washington D.C., evaluated the enactment of grooming policies enforced against black women in professional work environments, studying 1,017 Black women and 1,050 non-Black women.
The conclusion of the study determined Black women’s hair is 3.4 times more likely to be seen as unprofessional and they are 30% more likely to be made aware of formal workplace appearance policies.
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A bill passed the U.S. House regarding the CROWN Act in March, but needs to clear the Senate before receiving President Biden’s signature. Pennsylvania was one of the first states to sign on to the legislation.
Other cities and counties in the state have enacted their own CROWN Act policies, including the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
The CROWN Act, as proposed by Washington, would amend Article 185 of the city’s codified ordinances, known as the “City of York Human Relations Ordinance.” The ordinance currently provides guidance for equal opportunity employment in the city regardless of race, religion, age, sex, orientation and disability.
The act was initially presented to the York City Council on April 27, and was unanimously accepted as part of Tuesday’s legislative agenda.
Washington will hold a press conference before bringing the act for discussion with the rest of the board during the meeting.
“As a woman of color, I can relate to the unwanted comments and condescending looks from those struggling to relate to my natural hair style,” Washington wrote in a press release. “With endorsement of this legislation by the York City Human Relations Commission, I am confident this will help bring awareness to our community about this important issue and help eliminate the overt discrimination and biases we face simply because of our hairstyles and natural hair textures.”
The first opportunity for the board to vote on the amendment would be at the May 18 meeting.
Tuesday’s meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at York City Hall, 101 S. George St. and streamed by York City’s Facebook page and by White Rose Community TV.
Jack Panyard is a reporter at the York Daily Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at jpanyard@ydr.com, 717-850-5935 or on Twitter @JackPanyard.