Discrimination Against Natural Hairstyles Illegal Under New Law

ROCKVILLE, MD — In Montgomery County, it is now illegal to discriminate against people based on their natural hairstyle.

Effective Feb. 6, The CROWN Act — which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair — prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and other public services based on natural hairstyles historically associated with race. Afros, twists, curls, braids, and locks are all protected under this new law.

A person who is discriminated against because of a natural hairstyle can seek a civil penalty of up to $5,000 through the county's Office of Human Rights.

Councilmember Will Jawando and Council President Nancy Navarro, both Democrats, introduced the measure to the county council in September 2019.

Jawando said these "outdated standards" of beauty and grooming are used as a "weapon to discriminate against people of color." And that such standards are introduced to minority groups at a young age — be it through television or school dress codes.

"I will never forget the first time one of my daughters asked me why her hair wasn't straight like the girls on television," Jawando said last year. "I told her she was beautiful the way she was created, and that I would fight to ensure that no one would force her, or her hair, to be otherwise."

Navarro, who is a mother of two Afro-Latina daughters, said she also knows the effect that certain grooming standards have on people of color.

"(The CROWN Act) is another step forward for advancing racial equity in Montgomery County - employees should not have to fear retaliation for simply choosing a hairstyle," said Navarro when the bill was first introduced. "As a mother of two amazing Afro-Latina daughters, I know the struggles of a society that puts arbitrary constraints on one of the most personal expressions of culture and ethnicity - a person's hairstyle."