H. 4554:
The CROWN Act in Massachusetts
Also known as An Act prohibiting discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles, this bill is modeled upon the National CROWN Act and aims to combat hair discrimination in Massachusetts by defining natural hairstyles in statute and prohibiting discrimination based on natural hairstyles in schools, businesses, and other public spaces in the Commonwealth.
The CROWN Act is NOW LAW! On July 26, 2022, Governor Baker held an official signing ceremony alongside the Cook family. The bill was previously passed unanimously by the House (155-0) on March 17th, 2022, and the Senate (40-0) on March 30th, 2022.
Floor Speech
Facts & Figures
Press Coverage
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WBUR
Bill Targets Discrimination Based On Natural Hairstyles
January 29, 2020
By Chris Van Buskirk
Kim Janey, along with Councilor Lydia Edwards, Rep. Steven Ultrino and other advocates, attended a committee hearing Tuesday to lobby for a proposal that would prohibit discrimination based on natural hairstyles.
Partners & Endorsements
CROWN Coalition
In early 2019, Dove, the National Urban League, Color Of Change, and the Center for Western Law and Poverty co-founded The CROWN Coalition to ‘Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair’. The CROWN Coalition successfully advocated for new state laws that provide protection from race-based hair discrimination, with 7 states passing The CROWN Act in 2019 and early 2020.
Mass. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
Massachusetts Appleseed is part of a non-profit network of 17 public interest justice centers in the United States and Mexico. The centers work both collectively and independently to build a society in which opportunities are genuine, access to the law is universal and equal, and government advances the public interest.
