The days of employers treating Black hairstyles and textures as unprofessional could be coming to an end, as laws banning race-related hair discrimination spread rapidly among states and a federal proposal awaits Senate action.
Massachusetts became the latest state to enact a version of the CROWN Act with Gov. Charlie Baker’s (R) signature on July 26. California and New York first passed the measure only three years ago, and now 18 states have adopted it or similar bans on hair bias, with another awaiting the Alaska governor’s signature. Recent adopters include Louisiana, where the state’s newly expanded bias law takes effect Aug. 1.
“It truly is a game changer for Black women and folks who have natural hair all throughout our commonwealth,” State Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley (D), a cosponsor of the Massachusetts measure, said at the bill signing ceremony. As a Black woman, she has felt pressure to spend substantial time and money changing her hair to be accepted as a public school teacher, law student, and then lawyer, Oakley said.
More than 40% of the US population now lives in states that ban discrimination against hairstyles and textures historically affiliated with race—and that’s not counting a few dozen cities and counties with local versions of the law.
Like many of its counterparts around the country, the Massachusetts law expands the state’s definition of...
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