Advocate

On July 3, 2019, California was the first state in the nation to pass The Crown Act (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair), a law that prohibits discrimination over natural hair. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the CROWN Act into law, banning employers and schools from discriminating against hairstyles such as locs, braids, afros, and twists. New York was the next state to pass such a law. Today, over 24 states have passed the CROWN Act. It has failed to pass nationally.

Consider these findings:

• Black women’s hair is 2.5x more likely to be perceived as unprofessional.
• Approximately 2/3 of Black women (66%) change their hair for a job interview. Among them, 41% changed their hair from curly to straight.
• Black women are 54% more likely (or over 1.5x more likely) to feel like they have to wear their hair straight to a job interview to be successful.
• Black women with coily/textured hair are 2x as likely to experience microaggressions in the workplace than Black women with straighter hair.
• Over 20% of Black women 25-34 have been sent home from work because of their hair.
• Nearly half (44%) of Black women under age 34 feel pressured to have a headshot with straight hair.  
• 25% of Black women believe they have been denied a job interview because of their hair, which is even higher for women under 34.

(2023 Dove/LinkedIn Workplace Study)

Hair discrimination must end now. The Loc’d Life Foundation will advocate for the passage of the CROWN Act nationally and globally.