Atlanta Attorney Discusses CROWN Act with SHRM

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed HR 2116 — the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act — in a 235-to-189 vote on March 18. The measure, which now moves to the Senate for consideration, would protect employees from discrimination based on natural hair and hairstyles associated with race and national origin. 

This would be the first piece of federal legislation addressing appearance discrimination as it specifically relates to a worker's protected characteristic—in this case, race, noted Annie Reese. "Proponents of the CROWN Act believe that it will protect an important piece of racial identity," she said. 

As the bill moves to the Senate, Annie recommended that employers review their appearance policies and prepare to remove references to prohibited hairstyles and train managers on the CROWN Act if it passes. 

Read the full article in SHRM (subscription required).