A COALITION – STATE REPS. LA’TASHA D. MAYES AND JOANNA MCCLINTON, WHO ALSO SERVES AS THE STATE HOUSE SPEAKER, ANNOUNCE THE “CROWN ACT COALITION” DURING AN EVENT AT THE UNION TRUST BUILDING, DOWNTOWN, MARCH 8. (PHOTO BY MARLON MARTIN)
Reps. Mayes, McClinton launch ‘CROWN Act Coalition’ during Pittsburgh event
Prohibiting discrimination based on hair type, hair texture or hair style is one step away from a reality in Pennsylvania.
State Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, who represents the 24th House District, and Pa. House Speaker Joanna McClinton, both African American women, are leading the charge to pass the CROWN Act in Pennsylvania. The CROWN Act has already passed the Pa. House by a vote of 182-21. Now it just has to get through the state Senate.
On Friday, March 8, the Pennsylvania CROWN Act Coalition was formed and announced during an event in Downtown Pittsburgh. Among those in attendance were Pittsburgh’s First Lady, Michelle Gainey, state Rep. Aerion Abney, City Councilman Khari Mosley, former Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Esther L. Bush, and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato.
STATE REPS. LA’TASHA D. MAYES, RIGHT, AND JOANNA MCCLINTON WITH FIRST LADY OF PITTSBURGH, MICHELLE GAINEY, CENTER.
The coalition will work to combat hair discrimination and educate stakeholders about the CROWN Act, according to a release from Rep. Mayes’ office.
“CROWN” is an acronym for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” The CROWN Act’s actual name is House Bill 1934.
“Locs, braids, twists, coils, Bantu knots, cornrows, afros and extensions are typically associated with Black Americans. Historically, these hair styles have created a point of reflection for many human resources managers, educators and coaches, who want employees, students, or participants to follow established policies and maintain a uniform ‘neat’ appearance regardless of race, culture or ethnicity,” read a statement from the CROWN Act Coalition. “We can no longer stand by while Pennsylvanians are being targeted, harassed, and denied access to opportunities based on their hair type, hair texture or hairstyle.”
PA. HOUSE SPEAKER JOANNA MCCLINTON (PHOTOS BY MARLON MARTIN)
There are 50 senators in the Pa. Senate, of whom four are Black. All four are Black men. While the CROWN Act would pertain to both men and women, there are no Black women in the state Senate to vouch for the importance of the CROWN Act.
“When people face hair discrimination in the workplace like here in Pittsburgh in the case of Asani Porch who has a lawsuit against Aramark for hair discrimination, in school settings like Darryl George in Texas and public accommodations, it negatively affects their health,” Rep. Mayes said. “We must pass the CROWN Act to ensure that natural hair, hair styles and hair texture are respected in our commonwealth.”
CITY COUNCILMAN KHARI MOSLEY, LEFT, AMONG THOSE SUPPORTING THE CROWN ACT.
In 2020, the City of Pittsburgh passed its own version of the CROWN Act, banning employers from discriminating against certain hair styles. Allegheny County also passed a version of the CROWN Act in 2020.
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are part of a growing list of cities and counties nationwide that have taken the passage of the CROWN Act into its own hands, rather than waiting on their states to make it law. It’s unclear the next time that the CROWN Act will be up for a vote in the Pa. Senate, and you can add the U.S. Senate to that list. In 2022, the CROWN Act was passed nationally in the U.S. House of Representatives, but failed in the U.S. Senate.
So far, only about half of the country’s states have passed the CROWN Act. “People in other states—like Arkansas, Tennessee and Louisiana—have already secured the protections offered by the CROWN Act,” Pa. House Speaker McClinton said. “Pennsylvanians deserve the same respect and dignity, whether they are student athletes or applying for a new job. The CROWN Act Coalition will empower people to join the chorus of voices calling to end this outdated artifact of racial discrimination.”
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