(Washington, D.C.) — As the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, the CROWN Act, Mayor Sylvester Turner (Houston, TX), president of the African American Mayors Association issued the following statement urging the Senate to pass this legislation:

“Black hair is beautiful. We applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for affirming this by passing the CROWN Act, which will ensure Americans can wear their natural hair without the fear of discrimination or retribution.

“Students in the classroom and employees in the workplace should never be punished or mistreated because of their hair texture or hairstyle. That’s why several Black mayors across the country have taken action in their cities to pass ordinances that fight such discriminatory practices and work toward a more inclusive society.

“But more must be done at the federal level to protect all community members. The Senate must pass the CROWN Act without delay to once and for all ban race-based hair discrimination.”

The African American Mayors Association passed a resolution calling for laws that prevent discrimination on the basis of hair texture and protective styles and to expand the definition of racial discrimination in all applicable existing laws to include hair texture and protective styles.

Source: African American Mayors Association
Featured photo by Ben Masora, Unsplash