The CROWN Act

Did you know...

• A Black woman is 80% more likely to change her natural hair to meet social norms or expectations at work^[1]
• Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home or know of a Black woman sent home from the workplace because of her hair^[1]
• 1 in 2 Black children have experienced race-based hair discrimination as early as five years old – and the impact can last a lifetime

In the US, the law in many states does not currently afford protection for race-based hair discrimination, even if the hairstyle is inherent to racial identity. That means, Black women can be denied opportunities for employment or professional advancement without consequence. It means Black children can be denied entry to school or educational opportunities because of their natural hair. This is NOT OK. In 2019, we co-founded the CROWN Coalition in partnership with the National Urban League, Color Of Change, and Western Center on Law & Poverty to advance The CROWN Act. Our mission was, and is today, to advance efforts to end race-based hair discrimination and to create a more equitable and inclusive beauty experience for Black women and girls.

How the CROWN Act is enacting change

While there is still so much work to be done to pass the law nationwide, progress has been made. The CROWN Coalition sponsored The CROWN Act (SB 188) in California, introduced by Senator Holly J. Mitchell. California was the first state to sign The CROWN Act into law on July 3, 2019. The CROWN Act and laws inspired by the CROWN Act have been enacted in 22 states and 49 municipalities: The 22 states include California, New York, New Jersey (2019); Virginia, Colorado, Washington, Maryland (2020); Connecticut, Delaware, New Mexico*, Nebraska*, Nevada, Oregon*, Illinois*(2021); Maine, Tennessee*, Louisiana*, Alaska, Massachusetts (2022); and Minnesota, Arkansas, and Texas (2023).

On March 18, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act; unfortunately, the federal bill did not receive a vote when brought to the Senate floor for passage by unanimous consent. The federal CROWN Act will now need to be reintroduced in the 2023 legislative session.

Once signed into law, these bills ensure that traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles, are protected from discrimination in the workplace and in K-12 public and charter schools. We will not stop until the CROWN Act is law in all 50 states. Our CROWN petition has over 500,000 signatures so far. The time to act is now: you can sign it and email your senator today.

We’re in this fight together

Black women are unfairly impacted by societal norms and corporate grooming policies, creating distractions that impact our whole society. We know diversity has a positive impact on a workplace, and that companies that fire, refuse to hire or promote Black women because of their protective hairstyle destabilizes individuals, households and the broader economy. The workforce may boast more working women than ever [2], but Black women still remain pressured to conform to Eurocentric standards of appearance. Black women report receiving formal grooming policies at a rate significantly higher than White women [1]. Natural hairstyles inherent to Black identity such as locs, braids, bantu knots, etc. are ranked the lowest for professional appearance [1].

Black children are being scrutinized, simply for wearing their hair naturally, the way it grows from their heads. 53% of Black mothers, whose daughters have experienced hair discrimination, say their daughters experienced the discrimination as early as five years old [3]. It’s time to change this. Protecting the right for Black children to wear natural and protective styles freely is a crucial step in building their self-confidence. Together, we can take action and increase confidence in kids with curls, coils, waves and protective styles. 

We want to see a world where we are all valued for who we are, a world where we express our individuality without any concern or consequence. No person should ever be “judged” or held back by their hair.

Get involved!

Follow @Dove and visit TheCROWNAct.com to see the progress we’re making together. Already signed the petition? Write to or Tweet your local senator to encourage them to pass anti race-based hair discrimination legislation in your state.

Last year, we accelerated our work to eradicate race-based hair discrimination, and expanded our work with the CROWN Coalition. We put additional initiatives into action to end racial discrimination through legislative advocacy and societal change efforts. And there’s more to come.

We created a CROWN Fund and pledged $5M of ongoing support that invests in efforts to eliminate barriers to progress for young people in the Black community. Alongside the fund, we are driving change by co-creating new programs and expanding existing ones such as the Dove Self-Esteem Project to help empower the next generation. 

[1] Dove 2019 CROWN Research Study 

[2] Mark DeWolf, 12 Stats About Working Women, U.S. Department of Labor Blog (March 1, 2017) (According to the Department of Labor, women make up 47% of the US workforce, own close to 10 million businesses, and account for $1.4 trillion in receipts)

[3] Dove 2021 CROWN Research Study for Girls 

*Legislation inspired by the CROWN ACT