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| Photo by nappy from Pexels |
Urban News Staff Reports
The CROWN Coalition, a national alliance founded by Dove, National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, and Color Of Change declares July 3 as National CROWN Day; the 1-year anniversary of the signing of The CROWN Act in California.
The groundbreaking legislation, sponsored by the Coalition, was first introduced by Senator Holly J. Mitchell in January 2019 and signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 3, 2019. National CROWN Day is a solidarity for the human rights of Black men, women and children to wear their natural hair boldly and proudly, without the fear of being discriminated against in school or the workplace.
The one-day celebration will feature a full day of virtual conversations and people are encouraged to #PassTheCrown and sign the petition to end hair-based discrimination at thecrownact.com.
The Black community has always had a strong tradition of passing down stories, history and cultural pride to shape future generations on what is important to remember and carry forward. Given the heightened spotlight on racial injustice, now is the time to galvanize the country to eradicate all forms of discrimination that negatively impact the Black community, including hair discrimination.
New Jersey was the third state to enact The CROWN Act in 2019 when Gov. Phil Murphy signed The CROWN Act into law on December 19th, 2019, on the one-year anniversary of the wrestling match where New Jersey high school wrestler Andrew Johnson’s locs were forcibly cut off.
On National CROWN Day the Coalition is asking the Black community and its allies to share #PassTheCrown and to join the movement by signing the online petition at thecrownact.com, in addition to sending a letter or email to their state and federal legislators in states that have not yet passed The CROWN Act.
“Dove has always stood for beauty inclusion and rejects social injustice of any kind,” stated Esi Eggleston Bracey, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of North America Beauty and Personal Care at Unilever. “I am encouraged by how much we have accomplished in just eighteen months to bring an end to race-based hair discrimination. We are proud to have inspired a movement with significant impact, but we still have work to do. The CROWN Act has passed in 7 states and has been introduced in over 20 additional states and at the federal level. We know that hair discrimination is just one form of racial discrimination and we are determined to help bring about systemic change to eradicate racism in all its forms. Dove created the CROWN Fund and we are pledging $5M of ongoing support to drive change. We know funding is not enough, which is why we are taking action with our Coalition partners to advance legislative change.”
As the nation has turned its focus to dismantling systemic racism, the CROWN Coalition is expanding its work to fight more than race-based hair discrimination. The Coalition will be broadening its efforts by working to advance legislation and social change on more issues of bias and discrimination, as well as issues of public safety, voter suppression, and economic equity. The CROWN Coalition will now stand for Creating a Respectful and Open World with No Racism.