Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and the leaders of Dove Corp. have called for the passing of the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act that would prohibit racial discrimination based on hairstyle.
Booker spoke about the legislation on Dec. 16 on the Senate floor and tried to get it passed by unanimous consent. However, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) thwarted his attempt to advance the bill.
In 2018, Dove launched a national effort to advance the bill in concert with the National Urban League, the Western Center on Law & Poverty, Color of Change and scores of other supporting organizations. Four Black women — Esi Eggleston Bracey, Adjoa B. Asamoah, Kelli Richardson Lawson and Orlena Nwokah Blanchard — launched the campaign to get the CROWN Act passed in the U.S. Congress, state legislatures and locally-elected bodies.
The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives in March under the sponsorship of Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.). The CROWN Act has become law in Maryland and Virginia and the District prohibits discrimination due to personal appearance that encompasses hairstyle under the D.C. Human Rights Act.