A Creative Crown Project

History of CROWN

The CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) became effective January 1, 2019 in California. Since then, 26 additional states have enacted the anti-hair discrimination bill.

Below is a set of reference links for information about anti-hair discrimination legislation that each state that has passed.

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_{*locally not state wide}

In New Jersey, the CROWN Act was signed into law on December 19, 2019. This legislation explicitly prohibits discrimination based on hairstyle, hair texture, and protective hairstyles associated with racial, ethnic, or cultural identity.

The CROWN Act amends the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, which bars employers from discriminating against individuals based on protected categories, such as race. The CROWN Act clarifies that prohibited race discrimination includes discrimination based on “traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles.” Protective hairstyles include, but are not limited to, braids, locks, and twists.

The bill was particularly relevant in New Jersey due to a high-profile incident involving students like Andrew Johnson, a Black high school wrestler from Buena Regional High School, who was forced to cut his dreadlocks before a match in 2018. This event sparked national outrage and highlighted the ongoing issue of racial discrimination through grooming policies, particularly in schools. New Jersey lawmakers responded quickly, recognizing that Black students and employees in the state were vulnerable to this form of racial bias​

By enacting the CROWN Act, New Jersey affirms that all individuals have the right to wear their hair in its natural state or in culturally significant styles without fear of exclusion or mistreatment. This is significant in a state that is home to a large and diverse population, including significant numbers of Black and Afro-Latinx residents who are directly impacted by discriminatory grooming policies.