Op-Ed: Bias against natural hair costs Black women money, health and opportunities

The following op-ed is written by State Rep. Attica Scott (D-Louisville)

In 2016, I defeated a 34-year incumbent to become the first Black woman elected to the Kentucky state legislature in 16 years.  One of my early commitments to young people in Louisville and people across Kentucky was to address intolerance woven into public policy. With that in mind, this is my third time filing the CROWN Act (“Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair”) to protect people from race-based hair discrimination.

In the midst of Women’s History Month, it seems innocuous to still be discussing race-based hair discrimination.  Instead, we should be embodying this month’s theme of hope and healing and be able to wear our crown naturally.  On Tuesday, House leaders agreed to hear this legislation in committee, giving new hope that this is the year when the CROWN Act becomes law.

No one should be denied employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles, including braids, locs, twists and Bantu knots. Black students and students of color are already disproportionately affected by school suspension and expulsion; discretionary disciplinary actions in school over the way they choose to wear their hair only adds to that unfairness.

When my daughter was 15 and preparing to start her sophomore year, she eagerly went to orientation to pick up her new school year package of information.  Included in that was a revised dress code making it clear that “no dreadlocks, cornrows (even though they misspelled it ‘cornrolls’), twists, mohawks, and no jewelry can be worn in hair.”

These are hairstyles that have deep historical significance in Black culture and heritage. Beyond their cultural importance, these hairstyles protect our hair from chemical damage and support health and wellness. This discretionary dress code had a negative effect on my daughter’s outlook about school and her sense of belonging.

According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, gaps in Kentucky’s laws do not include protections against race-based hair discrimination. More than half of Black mothers report that their daughters have experienced race-based hair discrimination, some as early as age five. Two-thirds of Black children attending majority-white elementary schools report experiencing race-based hair discrimination. Hair harassment and pressure to maintain straight hairstyles can discourage physical activity and harm self-image among Black adolescent girls.

Bias against natural hair costs Black women money, health and employment opportunities.Researchers have found that as potential job applicants, Black women with natural hair are rated lower and less likely to be recommended for a job than Black women with straightened hair or white women regardless of hair type.

Black women in office, sales and corporate jobs are over 50 percent more likely to have been given a company grooming policy than other women and 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from work because of their hair. Nationally, one in five Black women has felt pressured to straighten her hair for work, while among those in office, sales and corporate jobs, eighty percent of Black women said they had to change their hair from its natural state to fit in at the office. Black women report spending more time on their hair, including costly professional styling appointments, and more money on hair products, compared to white women.

Kentuckians deserve for their hairstyles to be respected and accepted whether they are in school, at their job, or searching for employment. A study by Michigan State University found that Black women face the highest instances of hair discrimination and that eighty percent of Black women felt they needed to switch their hairstyle to align with more conservative standards in order to fit in at work. This is inherently rooted in the idea that there is only one “correct” way to show up, while penalizing any hairstyle that falls outside of Eurocentric norms.

As a Black woman, a mother, a legislator, and a Kentuckian, I am proud to sponsor the CROWN Act, which is House Bill 31.  Louisville Metro Council has already passed the CROWN Act at the city level, as has Covington. It is time for Kentucky to join more than a dozen other states that have passed the CROWN Act at the state level.