Virginia Rules Hair Discrimination Officially Illegal—Becoming 4th State To Do So

The conversation surrounding women of color and their hair has grown considerably within the last few years, as many have fought back publicly by those who attempt to shame or discriminate against how they choose the wear their hair. Following the lead of other states, Virginia has officially ruled that hair discrimination is illegal—and is now the fourth state to enact the law.

@Essence reports, late last month, House Bill 850 was rejected by the House Judiciary Committee, making natural hair discrimination an act that isn’t punishable by law in the state of West Virginia. The initial 8-14 vote wasn’t enough to push House Bill 850 forward, but advocates of the CROWN Act persisted and made significant progress.

On March 4^th, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed House Bill 1514 into legislation, which officially makes Virginia the fourth state in the country, behind California, New York and New Jersey, to ban natural hair discrimination.

If you’ll recall, the initial push to make hair discrimination illegal was spearheaded by Buena Regional High School student Andrew Johnson, who was forced to cut his dreadlocks to compete in a school wrestling match. This incident led legislators to reevaluate laws on racial discrimination as it relates to natural hair.

Due to the rising issues surrounding the topic, Senator Holly Mitchell introduced the CROWN Act, prohibiting discrimination based on hair style and texture and ensures protection in workplaces and in K-12 public and charter schools.

Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?