LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A bill that would protect Michigan citizens from workplace discrimination based on their natural hair passed the Michigan Senate Tuesday.
The CROWN Act, Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, was first introduced to Michigan Legislature by Democratic Sen. Sarah Anthony in 2019.
Anthony said the bill was inspired by hearing stories of people facing repercussions at work due to how they wore their hair.
“Today’s vote sends a clear message: Hair discrimination has no place in the State of Michigan,” Anthony said in a press release.
Many Black women who wear hairstyles like braids and locks have reported that they have faced hair-based discrimination at work, according to research sponsored by Dove in support the CROWN Act.
“For the Black diaspora here in America, the CROWN Act is necessary, because for us, the issues around what comes out of one’s follicles and what one does with them are not inseparable,” said Democratic Sen. Erika Geiss, Chairperson of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus, in a press release. “Hair-based discrimination is among the forms of structural racism that many Black people have faced.”
“Men in Michigan who were denied health care services because of their locks, others who have been told they needed to comb or cut off their cornrows to appeal to a more conservative workplace,” said State Senator Sarah Anthony. “Black women and girls who have been embarrassed, mistreated, denied opportunities and unfairly disciplined because of the way God has created us. relaxers that leave us with chemical burns, and often irreversible damage to our physical and mental health.”
The bill now moves onto the Michigan House.
For more information about the CROWN Act, you can visit thecrownact.com.
