San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
House approves bill to ban bias against hairstyle
WASHINGTON — Black people who wear hairstyles like Afros, cornrows or tightly coiled twists should not face bias in society, school and the workplace, the House lawmakers said in voting to make it explicit that such discrimination is a violation of federal civil rights law.
“There are folks in this society who think because your hair is kinky, it is braided, it is in knots or it is not straightened blonde and light brown, that you somehow are not worthy of access,” Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., the lead sponsor of the bill, said during debate on the House floor. “Well, that’s discrimination.”
The House voted 235-189 on Friday to prohibit discrimination on the basis of hair texture and hairstyles. The bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain. President Biden has already said he would sign the bill, known as the Crown Act, into law.
All but 14 Republicans voted against the measure, calling it unnecessary and a distraction. They said protections against hair discrimination already exist in several federal laws.
“This is what the Democrats are focused on,” said Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan. “Fourteen months of chaos, and we’re doing a bill on hair.”
But House Democrats noted that, in several instances, judges have dismissed civil rights cases on the basis that the law does not directly cover discrimination on the basis of hair. The House bill makes clear that hair is in fact included.
In addition to Afros, cornrows and twists, the bill mentions protections for other hairstyles and textures of styles that often draw prejudice against Black people.
Supporters pointed to a 2019 study by Dove that showed that 1 in 5 Black women working in office or sales settings has said she had to alter her natural hair. The study also found Black students are far more likely to be suspended for dress code or hair violations.
More than a dozen states, including California, already have passed legislation aimed at banning race-based discrimination of hair.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, the lead sponsor in the Senate, said passage of the bill will should ensure that all people can “wear their hair proudly without fear or prejudice.”
“No one should be harassed, punished, or fired for their natural hairstyles that are true to themselves and their cultural heritage,” Booker said.