by Candice Norwood
What is the CROWN Act?
Final legislation can vary slightly from state to state, but most CROWN Act bills forbid discrimination against certain hairstyles and textures within workplaces and schools.
The bill builds off existing state laws, which generally prohibit workplace or school discrimination based on religion, gender, sexual orientation and race. But the CROWN Act expands the definition of “race” to include “traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles,” like braids, locs and twists. These and other styles known as “natural” looks do not involve processing to straighten the hair.
Some bills also seek to end discrimination against adornments related to certain religious and indigenous communities.“Our civil rights statutes have been narrowly interpreted by federal courts, among other enforcement bodies, in such a way that it limits racial discrimination to what is known as ‘immutable’ or unchangeable characteristics,” said D. Wendy Greene, a law professor with Drexel University who has played a lead role working with legislators to draft and testify on the CROWN Act. “[The bill] clarifies that natural hair discrimination in all forms constitutes race discrimination.”
In 2019, California became the first state to pass the CROWN Act. Since then, a handful of cities, including New Orleans, Cincinnati and Albuquerque, have passed similar bills, as have New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Colorado, Washington and, this month, Connecticut. Both chambers of the New Mexico legislature have also passed the CROWN Act this year; the bill awaits the governor’s signature.
A federal bill passed the House last year, but died in the Senate. A group of five Black Democratic congresswomen reintroduced the federal bill this month in the House and issued a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris calling for her support. Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, re-introduced the legislation in the Senate last week.
Anthony first introduced the CROWN Act in the Michigan legislature in 2019, but after it went to a committee informally known as the “legislative graveyard,” she reintroduced the bill in late February. It is currently awaiting a hearing in the state House Judiciary Committee.
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which statement from the text alludes to the central idea that the different versions of the CROWN Act are designed to provide legal protection for hairstyles tied to racial identity?
(1 point)
Responses
“…most CROWN Act bills forbid discrimination against certain hairstyles and textures within workplaces and schools.”
“…most CROWN Act bills forbid discrimination against certain hairstyles and textures within workplaces and schools.”
“…many people don’t understand how prohibiting certain hairstyles could be tied to racial discrimination.”
“…many people don’t understand how prohibiting certain hairstyles could be tied to racial discrimination.”
“…requirements for Black people to straighten their hair can have negative mental, economic and physiological effects.”
“…requirements for Black people to straighten their hair can have negative mental, economic and physiological effects.”
“People don’t even realize that white dominant culture has been normalized and has been imposed upon people whose hair texture is different.”
1 answer
The statement that best alludes to the central idea that the different versions of the CROWN Act are designed to provide legal protection for hairstyles tied to racial identity is:
“People don’t even realize that white dominant culture has been normalized and has been imposed upon people whose hair texture is different.”
This statement highlights the cultural bias against certain hairstyles associated with racial identity and suggests the need for legal protection.
