SAN ANTONIO – Nevaeh Sage, 16, said the start of September brings a sigh of relief.
“Having the CROWN Act passed, I felt like, like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders, being able to freely express myself,” Sage said. “Growing up as a Black girl, my hair was always being discriminated against. I always shied away from wearing my natural hair out in public.”
Sage is a part of the local nonprofit, The Lemonade Circle. The group works to empower young women of color across San Antonio, and they’ve advocated for the CROWN Act to be passed in Texas.
With the passing of House Bill 567, race-based hair discrimination is now prohibited across the state for employment, education and housing opportunities.
The law took effect on Sept. 1, something Amaya Simmons, 17, said couldn’t come soon enough.
“It was a lot of joy and excitement and gratitude to be a part of something like this,” Simmons said. “Future generations get to grow up in a world where their natural hair isn’t described as unprofessional or distracting. They get to embrace it and love it and do whatever they want with it without being reprimanded.”
The CROWN Act stands for “Creating a Respectful Open World for Natural Hair.” The CROWN coalition reports that 23 states have legislation in place prohibiting hair discrimination.
Aissatou Sidime-Blanton with the San Antonio Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, said there is still work to be done.
“It’s gotten to Texas, and it will eventually move to the other states,” Sidime-Blanton said. “Whether you’re in schools, you’re in the workplace or out in the open community, we’re going to make sure you have a place that’s appreciated.”
Bonnie Prosser Elder, also with the Links, said now that the law is in effect, it’s time to make sure it actually gets enforced.
“There’s a difference between the lobbying on the books and it being enforced,” Prosser Elder said. “The CROWN Act will give them freedom, the choice to allow them to have their braids, their locs, their weaves. If they choose to do something else, that will be their choice, not a choice that’s influenced by a job or a promotion that they may want.”
Prosser Elder said now her focus will be on getting similar language into a San Antonio city ordinance.
Austin was the first city in Texas to approve the CROWN Act last year in June.
