Creating a

Respectful and

Open

World for

Natural Hair

Also known as the CROWN Act, this law was first passed in California, in an effort to end discrimination against Black hair in school and at work.

When I first heard of the CROWN Act, I couldn’t decide whether to be relieved that its movement was growing or sad that it needed to exist in the first place. Either way, I wanted to learn more about how this law came to be. To find out, I delved into the historical reverence of African hair, traced the history of hair discrimination that began with the slave trade, and discovered how the issue runs rampant through exclusionary dress codes and biased hiring practices.

I also spoke to a few women who had a lot to say on the matter; the strategist who co-founded the movement, a professor who pioneered discourse on hair discrimination, and a remarkable teen whose experience with hair discrimination inspired her to become one of its most vocal champions.