Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (CROWN Act) into law, making Massachusetts the 18th state to enact such a law. The CROWN Act expands the definition of discrimination based on race to prohibit discrimination based on natural and protective hair, including hair texture, hair type, hair length, and protective hairstyles. Signed on July 26, 2022, the CROWN Act went into effect immediately.
Employers should review their policies, handbooks, and training materials to ensure compliance with the new law.
After a Malden school barred twins Deanna and Mya Cook from participating or attending any school-sponsored events while wearing braids, Massachusetts in July 2019 enacted a law providing protection against the denial of educational opportunities to individuals with natural hair styles. The CROWN Act expands this protection to prohibit discrimination against natural hairstyles in employment.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a similar federal version of the statute in March 2022, and it is awaiting a vote in the Senate.
The CROWN Act adds the term “natural or protective hairstyle” to the definition of race in various laws, including the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Act (G.L. c. 151B), to include “hair texture, hair type and hairstyles, which shall include, but not limited to, natural and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, twists, Bantu knots, hair...
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