Michigan bans hairstyle discrimination in workplaces and schools

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The denial of employment or educational opportunities due to discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles, such as Afros, cornrows or dreadlocks, will be prohibited in Michigan under legislation signed Thursday by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

The new law, known as the Crown Act, will amend the state's civil rights law to ban discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles within employment, housing, education, and places of public accommodation.

State Senator Sarah Anthony, who first introduced similar legislation in 2019, said at Thursday's signing in Lansing that for years, she's heard “the stories of men and women and children who are denied opportunities here in our state,” due to hair discrimination.

“Let's call it what it is: hair discrimination is nothing more than thinly veiled racial discrimination,” said Anthony, the first Black woman to represent Lansing in the state Senate.

While previous attempts at passing the Crown Act in Michigan failed in the Republican-led Legislature, the legislation was passed this year with bipartisan support with a 100-7 vote in the state House.

Michigan will become the 23rd state to pass a version of the Crown Act, according to the governor's office.

The US House passed a bill to prohibit hair discrimination last year but it failed to advance in the US Senate.

Supporters of the law have pointed to a 2019 study by Dove that showed one in five Black women working in office or sales settings have said they had to alter their natural hair.

The study also found Black students are far more likely to be suspended for dress code or hair violations.

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