California Set to Ban Racially-Based Hair Discrimination

A bill that would ban racially-based hair discrimination in workplaces and public schools is headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Known as the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act, the bill seeks to rectify a history of “laws and societal norms that equated ‘blackness,’ and the associated physical traits … to a badge of inferiority, sometimes subject to separate and unequal treatment.” A study conducted by beauty company Dove found that natural black hairstyles like afros, braids and twists were ranked the lowest for “job readiness.” We’ll discuss the bill, how it could be enforced when signed into law, and the ‘politics’ of natural hair.