On March 18, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. The CROWN Act would prohibit workplace discrimination based on a person's hair texture or hairstyle if that style or texture is commonly associated with a particular race or national origin.
While the Biden administration supports the bill, the CROWN Act faces an uphill climb in the current Senate. The House voted mostly along party lines with only 14 Republicans voting in favor of the bill. At least 10 Senate Republicans would need to vote for the CROWN Act to avoid a filibuster and ensure its passage.
But regardless of the fate of the federal legislation, since California became the first state to pass a CROWN Act in 2019, multiple states and localities have followed suit.1 Employers doing business in states with operative CROWN laws-and employers everywhere seeking to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all their employees-should both understand the legal framework surrounding hair discrimination and consider what next steps make sense for their organization.
In February 2019, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) became the first jurisdiction to provide guidance on how dress codes, grooming policies, and other general hiring and employment practices can perpetuate race and national origin discrimination. In its Legal Enforcement...
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