A new Illinois law, called the CROWN Act, seeks to protect workers who wear natural or ethnic hairstyles.
CROWN stands for: "Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair."
Illinois State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth of Peoria sponsored the legislation. Gordon-Booth said the bill, which will outlaw discrimination based on hairstyle, establishes a key protection for Black women, in particular.
“It is a statement that, frankly, needs to be made,” Gordon-Booth said, “And that statement is: Black women, and the way that they wear their hair, [are] more than sufficient.”
Gordon-Booth said workers should be allowed to have hair styles that reflect their ethnicity.
“Many women who have worn natural hair or protective hairstyles have been told that their hair was unprofessional or unruly,” Gordon-Booth said.
A similar state law protects ethnic hair styles in schools.
The CROWN Act goes into effect in January 2023.
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