Gov. Tim Walz signed the CROWN Act, which prohibits racial discrimination based on natural hair texture and hairstyles, into law Feb. 1.
Minnesota is now one of the 20 U.S. states where the CROWN Act, formally called the Creating a Respectful Open World for Natural Hair Act, is a law
“Black people in Minnesota, and across the country, deserve to show up as their full, beautiful selves, without the fear of hair discrimination,” said Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a press release after the bill was signed.
Bill provides “an equal standpoint”
Bula Wayessa, an African American and African Studies professor at the University of Minnesota who specializes in social identity and archaeology, said he believes Black people should feel they can fully embrace all aspects of their identity.
“The matter of human dignity and acceptance regardless of what you look like is liberating,” Wayessa said. “[Hair] is a language through which they express themselves.”
In Ethiopia, ethnic groups have their own specific hairstyles, according to Wayessa. By hairstyles alone, one can identify a person’s background and which social group or subgroup they belong to, he said.
Wayessa said hair has cultural value because it marks an individual’s identity by defining who they are and their interaction with their communities.
The Black Student Union (BSU) is a student organization at the University that strives to embrace Blackness in all its forms and create an equitable and safe environment for all students, according to its website.
Kristina Yeboah, director of community engagement for the BSU, said she thinks the act will help remove the stigma surrounding Black hair.
Yeboah said Black hair is often stereotyped as unkempt or dirty. She said she believes that now, discrimination against Black hair textures or hairstyles will not be perpetuated.
“We get marginalized for our hair,” Yeboah said. “This gives Black individuals an equal standpoint.”
Event encourages attendees to “Rock Your Crown”
The “Rock Your Crown Past Present and Creative” event at the City of Minneapolis Public Service Building will celebrate both the recent passage of the CROWN Act and Black History Month.
The event was originally scheduled for Thursday but has been postponed to an undetermined date due to weather conditions.
The purpose of the event is for attendees to learn to embrace and care for their natural locks, according to Donald Brown, a member of the Minneapolis Black Employee Network and an organizer for the event. The event offers insight into natural hair, such as its history and different styles that it can be put into.
“Rock Your Crown is going to be putting more emphasis around us African Americans. We understand the historical component of our hair, and where it comes from, where it’s rooted from,” Brown said. “Your hair is considered as your crown, your glory, so no matter how or what type of hairstyle you have, we want you to come and rock that crown.”
Brown also stated the impact that he hopes the Rock Your Crown event will leave on those that decide to attend.
“We continue to get stronger,” Brown said. “In spite of all of the negativity that may be going on, we want to make sure that we spotlight the province of things that are going on within the African American community as well as our African American people.”
