SAG-AFTRA Lauds Passage of CROWN Act

In a big win for equity and inclusion, members of the U.S. House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act in a vote of 235-189 on March 18. SAG-AFTRA lauds the advancement of this important legislation and congratulates Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman’s leadership on the bill.

The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act, HR 2116, prohibits discrimination in education and employment based on the texture or style of a person’s hair. Several states already have such laws.
“Now is the time to reevaluate norms in our multiracial, multiethnic nation,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher.

“The CROWN Act is an exciting step towards a societal awareness of prejudice, judgment and whitewashing of culture. We must elevate ourselves as a species by embracing the many different threads that make up the fabric of the human experience.”

SAG-AFTRA performers of color routinely find themselves on sets where their hair care and styling needs are not met in an equitable manner. This legislation will help address that disparate treatment nationwide and end this discriminatory practice in the workplace once and for all.

Reps. Barbara Lee, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Gwen Moore supported the bill, which was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Cory Booker.

This item was originally featured in the SAG-AFTRA magazine spring 2022 issue.