What impact does the CROWN Act have on textured hair heritage today?

Roots

There exists an undeniable connection between the strands upon our heads and the stories held within our souls. For countless generations, across continents and through trials, textured hair has served as more than mere biological construct; it holds Ancestry, lineage, and a profound cultural script. The CROWN Act, a legislative affirmation, steps into this long-standing dialogue, seeking to protect the freedom to wear our hair in its natural inclinations and time-honored styles. Its presence today speaks to an ongoing reclamation, a societal shift towards recognizing and respecting what ancestral wisdom always understood ❉ our hair tells tales, defines collectives, and stands as a beacon of individual and communal spirit.

The Structural Memory of Hair

To truly grasp the CROWN Act’s present influence on textured hair heritage, we first must look to the very origins of these magnificent coils and curls. Hair, at its most elemental, is a protein filament growing from follicles within the skin. Yet, the way these filaments spring forth, their particular twists and turns, carry the echoes of ancient migrations and adaptations. The unique elliptical or flattened cross-section of follicles that yield textured hair, often seen across African and diasporic populations, dictates its singular helical shape and propensity for coiling.

This biological reality shapes how light interacts with it, how moisture behaves within its structure, and indeed, how it has been tended to and adorned for millennia. The science of this fiber is inseparable from its historical and cultural placement.

Consider the very act of hair growth. Cycles of anagen, catagen, and telogen dictate the life of each strand. For textured hair, the curvature of the follicle creates points of stress along the shaft, making it more prone to dryness and breakage if not handled with knowing hands. This biological reality, passed down through generations, shaped the ancestral traditions of moisturizing, sealing, and gentle manipulation.

These practices were not born of caprice but from an intimate observation of hair’s physical needs, a testament to an inherited scientific approach woven into daily rituals. The CROWN Act, by safeguarding these styles, acknowledges the very biological character of textured hair and the practices essential to its preservation.

A Naming of Strands and Self

The language used to describe textured hair has, regrettably, often been a tool of subjugation. Terms like “good hair” or “bad hair,” echoing colonial classifications, have created divisions, diminishing the inherent beauty and scientific integrity of diverse textures. These discriminatory labels, born from a desire to enforce Eurocentric beauty ideals, directly led to the marginalization of natural hairstyles.

The CROWN Act, through its legislative decree, consciously dismantles these harmful constructs by providing legal protection to styles historically targeted, such as Braids, Locs, Twists, and Afros. This legislative action brings into the modern legal lexicon a respect for ancestral forms of adornment and presentation, asserting their validity and professional standing.

The CROWN Act stands as a legal affirmation of what ancestral wisdom always understood ❉ our hair tells tales, defines collectives, and stands as a beacon of individual and communal spirit.

Historical definitions of beauty often excluded textured hair, forcing assimilation through chemical or heat alteration. These alterations, though sometimes a matter of choice, often carried the weight of social or economic survival. The Act’s legal shield aims to alleviate that pressure, allowing individuals to align their outer presentation with their inner sense of self and their historical lineage.

It recognizes that definitions of “professionalism” or “neatness” have been weaponized, unfairly targeting appearances tied directly to racial identity and heritage. The very act of naming these styles in legislation brings them out of the shadows of perceived impropriety and into the light of legal protection.

A Long Shadow of Regulation

To truly appreciate the CROWN Act’s timely arrival, one must acknowledge the centuries-long history of hair discrimination against Black communities. This discrimination often begins with policies seeking to control Black bodies and identities. A stark historical example comes from 18th-century Louisiana. In 1786, Governor Esteban Rodríguez Miró enacted the Tignon Laws.

These laws compelled free women of color in New Orleans to cover their hair with a tignon, a headscarf, ostensibly to distinguish them from white women and prevent them from attracting the attention of white men. This legislation, though aimed at suppressing the visible splendor and autonomy of these women, ironically led to an inventive subversion. The women responded by tying their tignons with vibrant, costly fabrics and decorating them with jewels and feathers, transforming a symbol of suppression into a statement of defiance and artistic expression. This historical moment reveals the deep-seated societal impulse to police Black hair and the enduring spirit of resistance against such control.

The Tignon Laws, though no longer formally enforced after the Louisiana Purchase, set a precedent that lingered in cultural norms and unofficial policies. They underscored the idea that natural Black hair was a “problem” needing “taming” or concealment. This perception continued into post-slavery America, influencing social and economic mobility. Often, lighter skin tones and hair textures perceived as more Eurocentric provided greater access to opportunities.

This sustained pressure led many Black women to adopt chemical relaxers and hot combs, tools designed to straighten hair, sometimes at considerable personal cost and health risk, as a means of conforming to imposed beauty standards and securing employment or educational access. The CROWN Act directly challenges this historical trajectory, offering a legal counterpoint to centuries of enforced conformity, permitting a return to self-defined beauty rooted in cultural lineage.

Ritual

The care of textured hair is not merely a regimen; it embodies a deeply personal and collective ritual, passed down through family lines, connecting individuals to their ancestral roots. These practices, often performed in communal settings, transcend simple grooming. They hold stories of resilience, acts of affection, and the transference of inherited wisdom concerning proper care for unique coil patterns and curl formations. The CROWN Act now stands as a shield for these living traditions, affirming the validity of how Black and mixed-race people choose to honor their hair, thereby honoring their lineage.

Ancestral Echoes in Daily Care

Before the transatlantic slave trade, in many African societies, hair was a profound marker of identity, status, spirituality, and community. Hairstyles conveyed marital status, age, wealth, and tribal affiliation. The intricate artistry of braids, coils, and locs spoke a silent language, a visual encyclopedia of a person’s life journey. The act of grooming itself was a social event, strengthening communal bonds and passing down expertise from elders to younger generations.

When Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas, one of the first dehumanizing acts was the shaving of heads, a calculated attempt to strip away cultural identity and communal ties. Despite this brutal disruption, remnants of these ancestral practices persisted, adapted, and survived through generations.

Today, protective styles like Cornrows, Box Braids, and Locs carry this historical weight and continued cultural significance. These styles, often requiring hours of dedicated attention, serve practical purposes – guarding delicate strands from environmental aggressors, retaining moisture, and minimizing manipulation. Yet, they also maintain a symbolic meaning, acting as a visible connection to ancestry and a declaration of self-acceptance.

The CROWN Act recognizes these styles, which for centuries were deemed “unprofessional” or “distracting,” as legitimate forms of self-expression, allowing individuals to bring their full cultural selves into spaces where they were once forced to conform. This legal backing permits a continuation and revitalization of ancient customs within contemporary settings, making visible what was once suppressed.

A Legacy of Care and Custom

The historical journey of textured hair care has been one of innovation born from necessity and a profound understanding of natural properties. Without access to tools or ingredients from their homelands, enslaved Africans and their descendants learned to use available resources, developing techniques that preserved hair health under harsh conditions. This resourcefulness became a heritage of natural care.

The CROWN Act, by legitimizing the appearance of these styles, indirectly supports the continuity of such care practices. It reduces the pressure to use chemical straighteners, which historically could damage hair and scalp, allowing for a return to less invasive, more hair-friendly regimens often rooted in ancestral wisdom.

The CROWN Act now stands as a shield for these living traditions, affirming the validity of how Black and mixed-race people choose to honor their hair, thereby honoring their lineage.

The act of tending to textured hair often involves specific tools and preparations. From wide-tooth combs designed to glide through curls with minimal breakage to natural oils and butters used for sealing in moisture, these elements are part of a care tradition. The freedom to wear these styles means the freedom to maintain them in ways that honor their unique structure, a science understood intuitively by generations of Black women and men. This legal sanction supports a personal and collective choice for hair health that aligns with cultural practices, rather than forcing methods that conflict with its biological makeup or historical presentation.

• Palm Oil ❉ Historically used across West Africa for its conditioning qualities, offering deep moisture for strands.
• Shea Butter ❉ A foundational emollient from the karite tree, traditionally applied to skin and hair for protection against dryness.
• Castor Oil ❉ Known for its thick consistency and ability to support scalp health, a long-standing ingredient in traditional remedies.

These natural ingredients, passed down through generations, speak to an ancestral pharmacy that understood hair’s needs before modern chemistry defined them. The CROWN Act’s protection allows for a renewed appreciation and freedom to utilize these traditional preparations without fear of their aesthetic results being deemed unacceptable.

Relay

The passage of the CROWN Act, state by state, marks a significant relay in the ongoing race for racial equity and the affirmation of textured hair heritage. This legislation does not simply grant permission; it codifies a long-overdue societal recognition, challenging entrenched biases and opening pathways for individual expression that honor collective history. Its influence extends far beyond the workplace or classroom, reverberating through communities and shaping future generations’ self-perception.

A Legal Redress for Lingering Bias

For too long, the legal system offered incomplete protection against hair discrimination. While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited race-based discrimination, courts often distinguished between immutable physical characteristics (like skin color) and mutable characteristics (like hairstyles), even when those styles were inextricably linked to racial or ethnic identity. This legal loophole left countless individuals vulnerable to policies that, while seemingly “race-neutral” on paper, disproportionately targeted Black and mixed-race individuals wearing natural hair. The CROWN Act directly addresses this inadequacy by expanding the definition of race to include hair texture and protective styles.

Consider the case of Chastity Jones. In 2010, she was offered a job at Catastrophe Management Solutions, a call center. The offer was rescinded after she refused to cut her locs, with the company’s human resources manager reportedly stating that locs “tend to get messy”. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit on her behalf, arguing race discrimination.

However, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court’s dismissal, ruling that locs were a mutable characteristic and therefore not protected under existing federal civil rights law. The CROWN Act directly confronts such rulings, aiming to ensure that similar cases in the future receive legal recourse, acknowledging that discrimination against hairstyles tied to race is indeed racial discrimination. This legislative action stands as a beacon for justice, directly responding to the challenges faced by individuals like Chastity Jones, whose very identity was questioned for professional acceptance.

Measuring the Shift in Perception?

The deep-seated biases against textured hair are not abstract; they manifest in tangible ways, impacting education, employment, and overall well-being. Studies reveal the pervasive nature of this discrimination. A 2023 CROWN Workplace Research Study found that Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as “unprofessional”. This perception directly influences opportunities ❉ approximately two-thirds (66%) of Black women report changing their hair for a job interview, with 41% of those opting for straight styles.

Furthermore, over 20% of Black women between 25 and 34 years old have been sent home from work because of their hair. These numbers paint a stark picture of the societal pressures and the real-world consequences faced by those who choose to wear their hair in its natural form.

The CROWN Act, by safeguarding these styles, acknowledges the very biological character of textured hair and the practices essential to its preservation.

The CROWN Act’s passage in numerous states marks a significant step towards rectifying these disparities. As of early 2023, more than 20 states had enacted CROWN legislation, prohibiting hair-based discrimination in schools and workplaces. This expansion of legal protection creates a stronger framework for challenging discriminatory practices.

It provides a basis for legal accountability, allowing individuals to seek justice for unfair treatment and encouraging employers and educational institutions to review and update their grooming policies to be inclusive. This legal shift opens pathways for a more equitable future, where hair diversity is not only tolerated but respected and celebrated within all public spheres.

Beyond legal ramifications, the CROWN Act influences the broader societal conversation around beauty, professionalism, and identity. It contributes to a climate where textured hair, in all its diverse manifestations, gains greater acceptance. This cultural shift, though gradual, supports a return to and pride in ancestral hair traditions that were once suppressed. It allows for a greater authenticity of self in professional and academic environments, recognizing that a person’s worth, competence, and dignity have no relation to the natural shape of their hair.

1. Policy Changes ❉ Many organizations are reviewing and revising dress codes to align with the CROWN Act, eliminating biased language.
2. Increased Awareness ❉ Public discussions surrounding the Act raise awareness about hair discrimination and its historical roots.
3. Educational Initiatives ❉ Schools begin to implement training for staff and students on hair diversity and cultural respect.

The legal relay of the CROWN Act moves us closer to a future where the beauty of textured hair is not merely tolerated, but respected, protected, and honored, echoing the reverence held for it in ancestral communities.

Reflection

The story of textured hair is a living archive, each strand a testament to survival, creativity, and profound cultural memory. It is a story whispered across generations, told through the language of curls and coils, speaking volumes of ancestral resilience and ingenuity. Roothea’s ‘Soul of a Strand’ ethos reminds us that hair is not merely adornment; it is a spiritual conduit, a marker of identity, and a vibrant connection to a rich, enduring heritage. The CROWN Act arrives as a reaffirmation of this truth, a modern acknowledgment of ancient wisdom, standing as a legal shield for a beauty that was once forced into hiding.

It represents a collective breath, allowing Black and mixed-race individuals to stand fully in their ancestral authenticity, without fear of sanction for the way their hair naturally grows. This is not just about legal statutes; it is about reclaiming the sacredness of self, about allowing the crown we are born with to shine unobstructed, truly unbound.