LANSING, Mich., March 18, 2022 — Today, the United States House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act, which bans discrimination based on hairstyle or texture in employment, public accommodations and housing.
“I am overwhelmed with emotion seeing this legislation pass the U.S. House today,” said state Rep. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), who authored House Bill 4275, the Michigan CROWN Act. “Hair discrimination is real. It has an economic and psychological impact on the people in our community. I look forward to seeing this legislation pass the U.S. Senate and for my legislation, which will enshrine similar language in the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, to receive the hearing and votes it deserves.”
“The CROWN Act is about protecting an individual’s civil rights, plain and simple,” said Kyra Harris Bolden (D-Southfield), a member of the House Judiciary Committee. “This bill would explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of hair texture or hairstyles commonly associated with a particular race or national origin. I look forward to seeing the Senate pass the CROWN Act to hold folks accountable who engage in this kind of discrimination. I also look forward to including this important protection in Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.”
Michigan’s CROWN Act specifies hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locs and twists, as traits historically associated with race to protect Michiganders from discrimination in the workplace, all levels of public education, public accommodations and services, and real estate transactions. Currently, seven other states have such bans. Anthony introduced a similar bill last term. The legislation was not brought to a vote.