"Ban Hair Discrimination Gaining Momentum"

Question

by Candice Norwood

As a young Black professional, Michigan state Rep. Sarah Anthony said she vividly recalls mentors saying that wearing straightened hair would be better for her career than wearing her natural curls.

Her curly hair would be seen as a “distraction,” or would “make the employer uncomfortable,” Anthony recalls being told by other Black women. Anthony’s experiences with anxiety and fear over the professional impact of her hairstyle are not unique. Though stories of Black people experiencing hair discrimination are not new, in recent years national media attention has brought a new level of scrutiny to the issue.

In 2015, now retired Staff Sgt. Chaunsey Logan faced a possible demotion for violating the Army’s hair policy banning locs. Logan was ultimately able to maintain her position by twisting her locs together, which apparently did not violate the grooming policy. The Army removed its ban on locs in 2017.

That same year, sisters Deanna and Mya Cook, then 15 years old, returned from spring break wearing long braids. Their Massachusetts charter school, which prohibited hair extensions, reportedly removed them from their sports teams and threatened them with expulsion until the state attorney general condemned the school policy.

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Question
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

“…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.”
“People don’t even realize that white dominant culture has been normalized and has been imposed upon people whose hair texture is different.”

“…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.”

Answer 1

The statement from the text that 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:

“…most CROWN Act bills forbid discrimination against certain hairstyles and textures within workplaces and schools.”