Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s own grandmother once refused to walk with her because she was worried about the stigma of Jackson Lee’s Afro hairstyle – an experience she recalled in a speech on the House floor in support of a bill that bans race-based hair discrimination. The congresswoman said her grandmother’s fear stemmed from what the hairstyle signified – “what it would be, how I would be harmed.”
“Those were the conflicts and strife that Black people went through, trying to come to grips with their identity,” Jackson Lee said Friday.
The CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act,” passed the House on March 18 by a 253-189 party-line vote and will now head to the Senate for consideration.
People of African descent lose educational and employment opportunities “because they are adorned with natural or protective hairstyles in which hair is tightly coiled or tightly curled, or worn in locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, or Afros,” the bill states.
Jackson Lee joined other House Democrats who support a national policy change over race-based hair discrimination. Versions of the CROWN Act already exist in more than 12 states, including California, which was the first to pass the legislation in 2019.
When Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said that Congress should be focusing on other issues like gas prices and inflation, Jackson Lee responded that the House can “walk and chew gum” at the same time.
“Mr. Jordan, we have engaged in a lot, but I will not stand down on the CROWN Act,” she said. “We must pass the CROWN Act to give dignity and reaffirm the rights of all people: Wear your hair as you desire.”
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