GLENDALE, Calif. — Hair has always been more than a style in the Black community.
It is history. It is culture. It is identity.
For generations, however, natural Black hairstyles have also been the subject of discrimination in schools, workplaces and public spaces. Advocates say many Black Americans felt pressured to straighten their hair or avoid protective styles to be viewed as professional or accepted.
Seven years ago, California became the first state in the nation to change that conversation.
On July 3, 2019, California enacted the CROWN Act — legislation that prohibits discrimination based on natural hair texture and protective hairstyles, including braids, locs, twists, cornrows and Afros. The law expanded the definition of race under California’s civil rights protections to include traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and hairstyle.
Today, supporters say the law has become a model for the nation while reminding people that the work is far from over.
“First word that came to my mind was protection,” said Jewel Brown, principal of Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts.
Brown remembers feeling pressure to straighten her hair long before the CROWN Act became law.
“My typical way of wearing my hair would have been to straighten it,” she said. “That kind of was embedded in me very early on. You needed to straighten it ... and that was what would be acceptable.”
After the law passed, Brown said she felt empowered to embrace her natural hair.
“I didn’t feel the necessity to straighten my hair,” she said. “I felt empowered to wear it in its natural state, to allow for the curls and the texture that comes with my hair to be on display. It allowed me to feel validated in that journey of self-expression.”
The California Black Health Network was among the organizations that continues to educate communities about the impact of the legislation.
“For so long, we’ve had to choose between our natural identity and our professional identity,” said Charity Faye, program director for the organization. “The CROWN Act gives us autonomy to make a choice for how we show up, what we deem as beautiful for our community, how we want to wear our hair and how we want to show up to the workspace.”
The law addresses a long history of race-based discrimination that often targeted Black hairstyles. Advocates point to students who were suspended for wearing locs or braids and employees who lost jobs or opportunities because their natural hair was considered unprofessional.
“There were Black people, especially Black women, who literally did have to fear how they might be discriminated against when they showed up to the workspace,” Faye said. “People have been fired. People have been suspended because they chose to wear locs or cornrows or braids or their Afros.”
She said the law represents more than symbolism.
“It is knowing that we can walk into spaces now without that fear of punishment and discrimination,” Faye said.
Brown believes the legislation also validated generations of Black Americans whose appearance had been unfairly scrutinized.
“It gave the validation that was necessary to descendants of Black culture to be themselves and to wear their hair how they so chose without being judged, without being marginalized and without being ostracized,” she said.
The conversation about hair discrimination has also reached the national stage.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has publicly discussed avoiding certain hairstyles while serving in the White House because of concerns about how they would be perceived.
Supporters say those experiences underscore why legal protections remain important.
Faye said she has seen attitudes begin to change in workplaces since the law’s passage.
“We have seen Black men in tech, in finance and in other industries now feeling safer to wear their locs, to wear their protective styles, without the fear of being seen as unprofessional or intimidating,” she said. “Those are coded racial stereotypes anyway.”
Kolaiah Allen, an esthetician, said her employer’s embrace of the CROWN Act has created a more welcoming workplace.
“I do believe that they have taken active strides in order to embrace equity, diversity and inclusion,” Allen said. “It’s one thing to say it, but it’s another thing to actually do it. Having representation on your floor makes people more comfortable. It makes people feel as if they can be part of something rather than be excluded.”
Since California became the first state to pass the legislation, 27 states have adopted their own versions of the CROWN Act, according to advocates. Supporters continue pushing for federal protections to ensure people are protected regardless of where they live.
“We need individuals to continue to push for federal protection, especially in those states that have not passed the law yet,” Faye said. “No Black person should have to choose between their identity and the safety of their education, their jobs or other opportunities.”
Each year on July 3, advocates commemorate National CROWN Day, marking the anniversary of California’s landmark legislation while encouraging continued activism.
For Faye, the day is about remembering both the discrimination that inspired the law and the collective action that made change possible.
“We remember the young people who were suspended from school,” she said. “We remember those who were fired because of their beautiful hair. Most importantly, we remember the collective action that it took to change this.”
She hopes people celebrate the day by embracing their natural beauty and encouraging others to do the same.
“Find another sister friend or a brother friend, take a picture, talk about what’s beautiful about your hair, about our culture, about us, and make it a celebration.”
