California has joined other states in ending racial discrimination against people with natural hairstyles such as braids, twists, and afros.
On Monday, the Senate passed the CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) which will ban discrimination against employees based off their hairstyle.
The bill was initially passed by Los Angeles Senator Holly J. Mitchell, who recently said in a speech, "A google image search for 'unprofessional hairstyles' yielded only pictures of Black women with their natural hair or wearing natural braids or twists."
(MORE: Black, natural hair gets new protections in New York City)She continued, "Although disheartening, not very surprising."
Toward the end of Mitchell's speech, the importance of the SB-188 bill was apparent and passed unanimously with a 37-0 vote to move forward to the State Assembly.
Mitchell shared the news of the CROWN Act approval on Twitter, and many people were proud to see forward progress. One person wrote, "We hope this is the beginning of the end to racial discrimination based on hair in this country and around the world!"
Another organization praised Mitchell's efforts as a sign of relief saying, "You don’t know how many times me and my colleagues struggled with this issue in the workplace and when going on interviews!"
Others chimed in on social media with similar sentiments and excitement.
We are filled with such PRIDE AND JOY that California is protecting Black workers and students. We can bring SO MUCH MORE when we are allowed to bring our whole selves to these spaces. check us out, we helped inspire the Natural Hair Guidelines in NYC https://t.co/AHog0OxAHZ pic.twitter.com/M52WdsU980
— gillian scott-ward (@Back2NaturalDoc) April 23, 2019
