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The Crown Act Is Closer to Becoming A Law

The United States House of Representatives has officially passed the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair (CROWN) Act with the help of representatives Barbara Lee, Marcia Fudge, Ayanna Pressley, and Cedric Richmond. They also partnered with Adjoa B. Asamoah of the Crown Coalition and key legal stakeholders.
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The United States House of Representatives has officially passed the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair (CROWN) Act with the help of representatives Barbara Lee, Marcia Fudge, Ayanna Pressley, and Cedric Richmond. They also partnered with Adjoa B. Asamoah of the Crown Coalition and key legal stakeholders.

The CROWN Act is a law that prevents employers from discriminating against people with their natural hair styles and/or texture while in a workplace. The CROWN Act applies to any federally funded program, housing, public accommodations such as hotels, and employment. 

Another Representative Ilhan Omar announced to Twitter on September 21st, “This passage is long overdue, but an important step forward to combat racial discrimination.”

To further extend protection across the country and get the federal bill closer to becoming a law, the bill has to go to the U.S. Senate and 51 of the 100 Senate members must vote for it to pass then it goes to the president, who can either veto or sign the bill.

Previously, The CROWN Act has been successfully passed in a few states such as California, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Colorado, Washington, and Maryland. Making it illegal to discriminate against a person in a workplace with a natural or protective hairstyle. 

In 2014, The CROWN Coalition helped the U.S. Military reconsider rules for hairstyles that lacked cultural sensitivity and gave little regard to what it takes for women of color to maintain their natural hair. As a result, military grooming standards were reviewed and adjusted to ensure fair and respectful consideration of a diverse military force

The CROWN Act is currently partnered with Dove, National Urban League, NAACP, Color of Change, and Western Center on Law & Poverty to fight for more states to pass The CROWN Act.

To further take action and reach representatives click here to get names and Twitter handles.

Visit thecrownact.com/about for more information.

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