National Black Justice Coalition on the CROWN Act’s Passage in the U.S. House of Representatives
CONTACT: Brett Abrams | brett@unbendablemedia.com
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, the CROWN Act, legislation banning race-based hair discrimination passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The legislation, spearheaded by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Gwen Moore, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Rep. Barbara Lee would ban hair discrimination which has a disproportionate impact on Black women, who are 1.5x more likely to be sent home from work because of their hair.
In reaction to the legislation’s passage in the U.S. House of Representatives, leaders from the National Black Justice Coalition, a leading Black LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, issued the following statements:
Victoria Kirby York, Deputy Executive Director, National Black Justice Coalition:
“We celebrate the House passage of the CROWN Act yesterday, a bill that would ban hair-related discrimination. As a Black lesbian who has worn my hair naturally my entire career, I have witnessed discrimination in the workplace that comes from wearing my hair the way God made it. Sadily this discrimination also follows us when we shop, ride public transportation, or go through TSA at the airport. We must continue to uplift and enact identity-affirming legislation that protects one of our most sacred forms of self- expression: our hair. We urge the U.S. Senate to pass the CROWN Act before the end of Women’s History Month along with other civil rights legislation such as the Equality Act.”
