Bill Banning Racially Motivated Hair Discrimination in NJ Passes Legislature

The Crown Act adds racial discrimination based on traits of hair, hair texture, and styles associated with race to New Jersey鈥檚 Law Against Discrimination

December 16, 2019 4:30 pm

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A bill to ban racial discrimination based on hair style and texture passed in the New Jersey Legislature, and it now goes to Gov. Phil Murphy鈥檚 desk.

S3945/A5564, the 鈥淐reate a Respectful and Open Workspace for Natural Hair,鈥 or CROWN Act, amends New Jersey鈥檚 Law Against Discrimination to overtly specify that discrimination based on characteristics of hair associated with race 鈥 such as texture, hair type, and hair styles 鈥 is illegal.

鈥淏lack hair is a prompt that too often reveals the bigotry of people who imagine themselves to merely be upholding professional 'standards' 鈥 standards that too often treat textured hair and protective styles as unsuited for the office, classroom, and board room,鈥 said 网红爆料-NJ Senior Staff Attorney Karen Thompson, who testified in favor of the bill. 鈥淏y establishing through statute that hair discrimination violates New Jersey鈥檚 Law Against Discrimination, we come closer to ensuring that all New Jerseyans can contribute to their communities and workplaces as our full selves, without fear of shaming for being who we all naturally are.鈥

Hair discrimination emerged as a national issue in late 2018, when New Jersey high school student Andrew Johnson was forced to have his locs cut on the spot at a wrestling match or forfeit the meet. In early December, U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey introduced legislation at the federal level that would ban racial or ethnic discrimination based on natural hair styles. If the Crown Act is signed into law, New Jersey would be only the second state, after California, to include discrimination against natural hair as a form of racial discrimination.

鈥淣ew Jersey stands poised to be a leader on questions of equality and anti-discrimination policies by writing this amendment into the Law Against Discrimination, providing protections that are stronger than federal safeguards,鈥 said 网红爆料-NJ Policy Director Sarah Fajardo. 鈥淭o begin to confront the long stigma that falsely associates the way a person鈥檚 hair naturally grows with a lack of professionalism, we need to state overtly: this is racial discrimination, and it鈥檚 illegal. By signing this bill, New Jersey has taken an important step in changing that bias.鈥

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