Governor Lamont signed the CROWN Act to help put an end to race-based hair discrimination, making Connecticut the 8th state to pass the law — and it would not have been possible without the hard work of political strategist Adjoa B. Asamoah.
The state voted to pass The CROWN Act in a 33-0 vote.
“This measure is critical to helping build a more equitable society, and I look forward to signing it into law in the coming days,” Lamont tweeted.
The law prohibits discrimination based on hairstyle and hair texture.
CROWN stands for: Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.
“The right to rock our crowns the way we see fit, especially in alliance with, you know, who we are culturally and as a people, that right must be protected and preserved,” ABC 7 News. “This prevalent form of discrimination includes being fired, passed over for promotions, and even having offers of employment rescinded,” she later added.
The CROWN Act was created in 2019 by Dove and the CROWN Coalition to protect against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools.
According to a 2019 Dove CROWN Research Study, Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair.
California became the first state to pass the CROWN Act in 2019. New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Colorado and Washington have also outlawed discrimination against natural hair.
Asamoah is far from done. She also wants reform in the public school curriculum. She has just co-drafted a bill that would guarantee that Black studies courses be a requirement for high school graduation.
“If I’m at the table by myself, something is wrong. So if I get there first, it is my obligation to the next generation to make sure that I am creating a seat for somebody else,” she asserted.
