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Senate Republicans blocked a bill to ban discrimination based on hair texture or styles to not become federal law

Clay Cane
January 23, 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutes

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, middle, discusses State Bill, SB-188 Discrimination: hairstyles by state Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles, third from left, that bans workplace and school discrimination against black people for wearing natural hairstyles, including locks and braids. Newsom signed the law, the first of its kind by any state, at the Capitol in Sacramento on Wednesday, July 3, 2019. Federal courts, though, have regularly ruled that hairstyles do not count as an “immutable” characteristic of race, meaning a trait that can’t be changed, and therefore don’t get protection under racial discrimination laws. (AP Photo/Kathleen Ronayne)

Senate Republicans blocked a bill to ban discrimination based on hair texture or styles to not become federal law. The legislation would have made discrimination against a person because of his or her natural hair a federal crime if that person’s hairstyle or texture is commonly associated with a particular race or national origin. Sen. Cory Booker led an effort to pass the CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, with unanimous approval in the upper chamber so President Joe Biden could sign it into law.

Michele Watley, founder of Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet, testifies in favor of a bill before the Kansas Legislature to ban discrimination based on hairstyles in employment, housing and public accommodations during a committee hearing, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kansas. Her Kansas City, Missouri, group advocates for black women and says they often feel forced to straighten their natural hair to get jobs or keep them. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

But following the lead of Sen. Rand Paul, GOP senators blocked the bill from becoming passed in the Senate. This action, one of the last taken before the Senate goes to recess for the holidays, leads into a new senate session after the New Year where Democrats have a 51-seat majority.

For AURN News, I am Clay Cane.

Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC. Twitter: @claycane