CROWN Act Supported

Like many states, Delaware state senators unanimously passed the CROWN Act in January. The legislation includes braids, locks, twists and other hairstyles or hair textures historically associated with race in anti-discrimination laws within Delaware code. The change means that employers can be held accountable if they harass or discriminate against someone for their hair. New Jersey lawmakers passed its CROWN Act legislation in 2019. In that state, a high school wrestler was forced to cut his dreadlocks at a match. Shaquierra Brown, 25, of Merchantville, NJ, said its passage in her state in 2019 was liberating. “For me, it just meant I could be more myself without having to fear what other people might be thinking, and whether or not I could potentially not be able to get a job, or if someone was able to say negative things about my hair, I might have to manipulate it or change it to fit the societal norms.