Current:Home > Contact-usMichigan bans hairstyle discrimination in workplaces and schools-LoTradeCoin
Michigan bans hairstyle discrimination in workplaces and schools
View Date:2024-12-23 17:12:20
The denial of employment or educational opportunities due to discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles, such as Afros, cornrows or dreadlocks, will be prohibited in Michigan under legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The new law, known as the Crown Act, will amend the state's civil rights law to ban discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles within employment, housing, education and places of public accommodation.
State Sen. Sarah Anthony, who first introduced similar legislation in 2019, said at Thursday's signing in Lansing that for years, she's heard "the stories of men and women and children who are denied opportunities here in our state," due to hair discrimination.
"Let's call it what it is: hair discrimination is nothing more than thinly veiled racial discrimination," said Anthony, the first Black woman to represent Lansing in the state Senate.
While previous attempts at passing the Crown Act in Michigan failed in the Republican-led Legislature, the legislation was passed this year with bipartisan support with a 100-7 vote in the state House.
Michigan will become the 23rd state to pass a version of the Crown Act, according to the governor's office. The U.S. House passed a bill to prohibit hair discrimination last year but it failed to advance in the U.S. Senate.
Supporters of the law have pointed to a 2019 study by Dove that showed one in five Black women working in office or sales settings have said they had to alter their natural hair. The study also found Black students are far more likely to be suspended for dress code or hair violations.
Marian Scott, a student from Jackson, Michigan, joined lawmakers at Thursday's signing. In 2019, Scott, then an 8-year-old, was told that she could not take school pictures because her red hair extensions violated school policies.
In 2021, a biracial 7-year-old girl in Michigan had her hair cut by a school worker without her parents' permission. The girl's father, Jimmy Hoffmeyer, filed a $1 million lawsuit against the school district, alleging racial discrimination and ethnic intimidation.
Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, the state's first Black lieutenant governor, said his own daughter just got her hair braided yesterday for the first time, with a heart design in it.
"Imagine when you choose how to present and someone tells you that's wrong," Gilchrist said. "What does that do to snuff out the imaginative potential of our young people?"
Michigan Democrats have focused on expanding the state's civil rights law since they took control this year. The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, created in 1976, was amended twice earlier this year to add protections for the LGBTQ community and workers who receive abortions.
The civil rights act prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status and marital status.
Former Republican Rep. Mel Larsen, who helped author the civil rights act alongside Democratic Rep. Daisy Elliott in 1976, said earlier this year at a signing that the "original intent, and the intent still, is that every citizen of Michigan has the right to be protected under the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act."
- In:
- Discrimination
- Gretchen Whitmer
- Politics
- Michigan
veryGood! (87)
Related
- 'He's driving the bus': Jim Harbaugh effect paying dividends for Justin Herbert, Chargers
- 7 people, including pilot, parachute out of small plane before crash in Missouri hayfield
- Oregon wineries and vineyards seek $100 million from PacifiCorp for wildfire smoke damage to grapes
- The Daily Money: Americans bailing on big cities
- AIT Community Introduce
- Appeals court won’t halt upcoming Alabama execution
- Pregnant Francesca Farago Details Recent Hospital Visit Due to “Extreme Pain”
- When is the 'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 finale? Release date, cast, where to watch
- Brian Austin Green Shares Message to Sharna Burgess Amid Ex Megan Fox's Baby News
- Who will win Rangers vs. Panthers Game 4? Stanley Cup Playoffs predictions, odds
Ranking
- Human head washes ashore on Florida beach, police investigating: reports
- Federal investigation of former Ohio House speaker ends with no charges filed
- See Millie Bobby Brown and Husband Jake Bongiovi Show Off Their Wedding Rings
- Jon Bon Jovi Shares Heartwarming Details of Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi’s Wedding
- How Alex Jones’ Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion
- Jury in Trump’s hush money case to begin deliberations after hearing instructions from judge
- Cohen’s credibility, campaigning at court and other takeaways from Trump trial’s closing arguments
- Layoffs can be part of running a small business. Some tips for owners on handling them
Recommendation
-
How Kim Kardashian Navigates “Uncomfortable” Situations With Her 4 Kids
-
Stock market today: Asian shares decline after a mixed post-holiday session on Wall Street
-
Body of newborn infant found at recreation area in northwest Missouri
-
The Best Bikini Trimmers for Easy Touch-Ups and Silky Smooth, Summer-Ready Skin
-
Kalen DeBoer, Jalen Milroe save Alabama football season, as LSU's Brian Kelly goes splat
-
Stewart-Haas Racing to close NASCAR teams at end of 2024 season, says time to ‘pass the torch’
-
Stock market today: Asian shares decline after a mixed post-holiday session on Wall Street
-
Cohen’s credibility, campaigning at court and other takeaways from Trump trial’s closing arguments