Bill Just Passed Minnesota House To Ban Discrimination Based on Hairstyle

It could be illegal to discriminate against someone because of their hairstyle in Minnesota now that the Minnesota House of Representatives passed "The Crown Act."

The Crown Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) updates the Minnesota Human Rights Act's definition of race to include natural hairstyles and textures. The goal is to make it illegal to discriminate against someone because of their hairstyle (including but not limited to twists, braids, and locs).

The bill, written by Representative Esther Agbaje, of Minneapolis, passed with heavy bipartisan support (104-25).

Representative Agbaje said just before the vote,

“At the heart of this bill is the ability to allow more people to show up as their authentic selves in school or in the workplace without fear of repercussions because of their hair."

This is the second time this issue has passed the Minnesota House. Senator Bobby Jo Champion wrote the Minnesota Senate version of the bill for this year and said he thinks there's a better chance of it winning Senate approval in 2022.

As always, if you have a comment, complaint, or concern about something I wrote here, please let me know: james.rabe@townsquaremedia.com

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