On July 3, 2019, California became the first state to legally protect black students and employees from hair discrimination when Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 188, known as the CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair). The law declares hair discrimination illegal and acknowledges the historical bias against black hair textures and styles. The legislation states, “The history of our nation is riddled with laws and societal norms that equated ‘Blackness,’ and the associated physical traits, for example, dark skin, kinky and curly hair, to a badge of inferiority, sometimes subject to separate and unequal treatment.” It further asserts that professionalism has long been associated with Eurocentric features, forcing individuals outside these norms to alter their appearances to be considered professional.
