Montgomery Bill Seeks To Ban Discrimination Against Natural Hair

ROCKVILLE, MD — A group of Montgomery County lawmakers introduced a bill on Tuesday aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against employees based on their natural hairstyle.

The CROWN Act — which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair — would update the county’s anti-discrimination laws to include natural hairstyles historically associated with race, such as afros, twists, curls, braids, and locks. With these protections, the bill would also ban corporate grooming policies that disproportionally affect minorities — particularly women of color.

Councilmember Will Jawando and Council President Nancy Navarro introduced the measure to the county council on Tuesday.

Jawando said these “outdated standards” of beauty and grooming are used as a “weapon to discriminate against people of color.” And that such standards are introduced to minority groups at a young age — be it through television or school dress codes.

“I will never forget the first time one of my daughters asked me why her hair wasn’t straight like the girls on television,” Jawando said. “I told her she was beautiful the way she was created, and that I would fight to ensure that no one would force her, or her hair, to be otherwise. That is why I’m introducing the CROWN Act with my colleague Nancy Navarro, to prohibit discrimination based on natural hairstyles in Montgomery County.”

Navarro, who is a mother of two Afro-Latina daughters, says she knows the effect that certain grooming standards have on people of color.

“This bill is another step forward for advancing racial equity in Montgomery County – employees should not have to fear retaliation for simply choosing a hairstyle,” said Navarro. “As a mother of two amazing Afro-Latina daughters, I know the struggles of a society that puts arbitrary constraints on one of the most personal expressions of culture and ethnicity – a person’s hairstyle. Montgomery County is a welcoming, diverse community, and our structures must be updated to better reflect who we are as a County.”

A public hearing on the CROWN Act has been scheduled for Oct. 15 at 1:30 p.m.