California OKs Bill Protecting Hairstyles Associated With Race

June 27, 2019, 5:27 PM UTC

California employers wouldn’t be allowed to bar twists, braids, dreadlocks, or other hairstyles historically associated with race under first-in-the-nation legislation bound for the governor’s desk.

Senate Bill 188 adds to the Fair Employment & Housing Act and Education Codes definitions of race that are “inclusive of traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.”

The CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) unanimously passed the state Assembly June 27. It returns to the Senate, which unanimously passed it in April, for concurrence on amendments.

California would become the first ...

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