DiDomenico Hosts Anti-Hair Discrimination Legislative Briefing

BOSTON- Last week, Senator DiDomenico joined the national CROWN Coalition in hosting a legislative briefing ion hair discrimination and the CROWN Act. The CROWN Coalition is an alliance of organizations dedicated to advocating for new state laws-- known as the CROWN Act-- that provide protection from race-based hair discrimination. In the Massachusetts State Senate, Senator DiDomenico is the lead sponsor of S.994, An Act prohibiting discrimination based on natural hairstyles, which would prohibit race-based hair discrimination, including the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair textures or protective hairstyles.

Senator DiDomenico hosted this anti-hair discrimination briefing alongside his State House partners, Senator Adam Gómez and Representatives Chynah Tyler and Steven Ultrino. Together, these legislators are sponsoring and advocating for the CROWN Act to be passed here in Massachusetts.

Currently in Massachusetts and 36 states across the country, it is legal to discriminate against a person in the workplace or schools because of natural or protective hairstyles. Hair discrimination remains a source of racial injustice with economic consequences for Black people. According to a 2019 study, Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair. The CROWN Act corrects these racial injustices by making hair discrimination illegal.

The legislative briefing included a multitude of speakers detailing their own experiences and involvement in the fight against race-based hair discrimination. Moderated by Adjoa B. Asamoah, National Lead Strategist for the CROWN Coalition, other speakers at the event included Boston City Councilor, Lydia Edwards, Mya and Deanna Cook of Malden, who fought back against hair discrimination in their school in 2017, Janicka Ellis, Owner of Castle Hair Studio in Roxbury, and Bitiah Carter, President and CEO of New England Blacks in Philanthropy.

During the event, Senator DiDomenico emphasized that the existing anti-discrimination laws in Massachusetts fail to protect employees and students who wear their hair in natural or protective hairstyles from discrimination. For this reason, he stressed that it is crucial for the CROWN Act and any supporting bills to become law. "We need to play out part in ensuring that adults and children throughout the Commonwealth, like Mya and Deanna, are protected from hair discrimination that targets hairstyles associated with race. While this bill would finally help provide protection from race-based discrimination, there is still plenty of work that needs to be done. However, I am hopeful that we can continue working together to make these changes a reality in the near future." 

The National CROWN Coalition has had success in elevating the public narrative around hair discrimination in recent years and inspiring a movement to end hair bias and discrimination. In 2019 and 2020 alone, they were successful in advocating for new laws across the nation. DiDomenico stated that "It is because of the extraordinary work of the CROWN Coalition nationally that we have gotten so much attention put on the issue, and rightfully so. It is my sincere hope that Massachusetts be the next state to pass the CROWN Act to protect Black women, men and children and ensure that natural hairstyles are celebrated, not discouraged."

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