Texas Latest State To Sign CROWN Act Into Law

Texas has officially signed the CROWN Act into law. After passing with an overwhelming majority vote in both the Texas House and Senate, the bill making race-based hair discrimination illegal will go into effect on September 1.

[SEE ALSO: National CROWN Day Celebrates Movement To End Natural Hair Discrimination]

The CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, is a legal movement spearheaded by the CROWN Coalition over the past six years to make discrimination against people of color for their hair a human rights issue. Texas Rep. Rhetta Andrew Bowers first introduced the bill in 2020 after two Houston students made national headlines for getting suspended after refusing to cut their locks.

In Texas, the bill makes it illegal in school and the workplace to discriminate based on certain hairstyles — including braids, locs, and twists.

“And it is just necessary for men, women and children to just feel accepted the way their hair grows naturally out of their heads,” said Rep. Bowers. “How the hair naturally grows out of our heads should have nothing to do with what is inside. And therefore with any of the success that we accomplish, the time is now for Texas to take up this civil rights legislation and protect the people from racial discrimination.”

The bill passed in the House in April with a 143-5 vote and passed in the Senate on May 12 with a 29-1 vote.

“I am incredibly thankful to the Governor for signing the CROWN Act into law,” said Rep. Bowers said in a statement. “The CROWN Act is a civil rights law that will improve the lives of countless Texans, and it will be appreciated by more people than we can imagine.”

The bill was part of a long-running movement in Texas to address Black hair politics. Hair educator and activist Isis Brantley put the spotlight on the state’s discriminatory practice with her decades-long fight after being arrested for braiding natural hair without a license. Not only did they find that her constitutional rights had been violated, it also led to Gov. Greg Abbott’s signing of the Texas House Bill 2712 on June 8, 2015. Affectionately known as the “Isis Brantley Bill,” the legislature removed requirements that made it illegal for natural hair braiders to braid without a license. She has since been an active proponent of the CROWN Act.

“I pray all those in the natural hair movement know the full history of their heritage and that braiders in Texas know why they are able to make a living without spending tens of thousands $$$ and being in debt forever to get a cosmetology license,” shared Brantley.

Texas-native and journalist Tashara Parker has also been an avid supporter and spokesperson for the CROWN ACT after going viral in 2020 for being mocked for wearing her natural hair on broadcast television. Prior to the bill’s passing, she not only testified three times in support of the CROWN Act, as well as launched an Emmy award-winning series, Rooted, which explored conversations about Black hair in America.

“The state of Texas chose to be on the right side of history,” said Parker. “All this is because of Rep. Bowers’ championing of the cause. Throughout this fight, she’s stood her ground to ensure that political parties on both sides of the aisle have come to understand the magnitude of this cause.”

The CROWN Act will take effect on September 1. The Act has been signed into law in 20 states and territories across the country. Here is a list of all the states that have passed the CROWN Act or similar anti-hair discrimination laws thus far:

• California (2019)
• New York (2019)
• New Jersey (2019)
• Maryland (2020)
• Virginia (2020)
• Colorado (2020)
• Washington (2020)
• Connecticut (2021)
• Delaware (2021)
• New Mexico (2021)
• Nevada (2021)
• Nebraska (2021) 
• Oregon (2021) 
• Illinois (2022) –extended from in-school only in 2021 to now include the workplace
• Maine (2022)
• Tennessee (2022)
• U.S. Virgin Islands (2022)
• Massachusetts (2022)
• Minnesota (2023)
• Texas (2023)

Is your state not listed? You can join the movement by clicking here to sign a petition calling on governors and state lawmakers to get on board.