Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced legislation in Congress that aims to ban discrimination based on a person's hairstyle or hair texture. The bill, known as the CROWN Act of 2024, was introduced by New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in the US House of Representatives. The legislation, officially named HR 8191, currently has 84 co-sponsors.
If enacted, the CROWN Act would protect individuals with hairstyles commonly associated with race or national origin, such as tightly coiled or curled hair, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros, from discrimination. The proposed law would prohibit discrimination in federally assisted programs, housing programs, employment, schools, and public accommodations based on a person's hair.
