Lamont signs hair discrimination bill
Gov. Ned Lamont called for racial equity Wednesday as he held a ceremonial signing for a key bill outlawing discrimination based on hair styles historically associated with race.
Surrounded by members of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus and other supporters outside the state Capitol, Lamont signed the CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.
In response to concerns raised by Black women, Connecticut has become the eighth state to adopt a new law on the issue. The bipartisan measure passed recently by a 33-0 vote in the Senate and a 139-9 vote in the state House of Representatives.
“I’m an old white guy, and when I grew up, everyone was always talking about a melting pot,” said the 67-year-old Lamont, who grew up on Long Island. “Maybe you heard that phrase. In part, they said we’re all going to melt. We’re going to become like each other. We’re going to dress alike. We’re going to speak alike. We’re going to wear our hair alike. We’re going to change our names so they sound more American. That was what they thought about a melting pot.
“But that’s not what I thought. I think what makes America great is it’s an idea. It gives us the freedom to be who we are. It gives us liberation to be who we are. It gives us the authenticity to say who we are.”
Regarding the CROWN Act, Lamont said, “I think this is a really big deal unto itself, and it’s a big deal because it’s part of something bigger that we’ve been trying to do together for a while.”
Lamont said he will continue pushing for his long-running goal for more minority teachers in the classroom, particularly men.
“Black and brown, and people that you could look to and identify with and give you the sense of a role model,” Lamont said. “That’s important for those kids, and it’s important for the white kids so that they see teachers and role models and they can learn from each other.”
The Connecticut law lists hairstyles that include afros, cornrows, dreadlocks, Bantu knots, braids and twists. The measure passed at the committee level last year, but then the 2020 legislative session was short-circuited in mid-March by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the CROWN Act, like most other legislation, was shelved. But then it was revived and became one of the first bills passed this year.
The issue has gained momentum in legislatures around the country, becoming law in California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Washington and Colorado and being debated in 19 other states nationwide.
One of the driving forces for the bill was that Black women are 80% more likely to alter their natural hair to accommodate social norms or work expectations, according to a study completed by Dove, the cosmetic manufacturer that supports the hair movement. The study showed that Black women are also 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from work due to their hairstyles.