As the nation celebrated The Fourth of July earlier this month, one state granted independence to its Black citizens who wear natural hairstyles such as Afros, braids, cornrows and dreads in the workplace and public schools.
California’s CROWN Act comes after years of research and data showing the importance of Black hairstyles to identity and self-esteem.
The law, Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair – or CROWN – was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 3. It was proposed in response to nationally publicized instances of African-Americans experiencing discriminatory practices because of natural hairstyles.
The issue of natural hair worn by Black people in the workplace and in schools has long been a topic of research in academia. However, Dove and co-founders of the Crown Coalition, a group that included beauty industry leaders, civil rights activists and legislators, sponsored a study that surveyed 2,000 women ages 25-64 working in office settings throughout the United States.
The researchers revealed how societal norms and corporate grooming policies unfairly impact Black women in the workplace.
The results of the Dove study led to the introduction of the law in the California legislature. State Sen. Holly Mitchell, who wears her hair in locs, sponsored the bill.
“The history of our nation is riddled with laws and societal norms that equated ‘blackness’ and the associated physical traits…to a badge of inferiority, sometimes subject to separate and unequal treatment,” the legislation states.
