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New Jersey Becomes Third State to Ban Discrimination Based Upon Hairstyle


On December 19th, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law the Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act (the CROWN Act) which bars discrimination based upon hair texture or hair style associated with race.

The CROWN Act, which went into effect upon signature by Governor Murphy, amends the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination by adding "traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles" to the definition of race for the purposes of prohibited discrimination.

Readers might recall that both California and New York had approved similar legislation in 2019, as had several cities including Cincinnati.  As well, Democratic Senator Cory Booker had introduced a piece of legislation in Congress that would apply the CROWN Act to the federal level.  With Senator Booker currently running for the Democratic nomination for President, it will be interesting to see whether he uses this platform to help advocate for passage of the law.



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