’Tis the season for reviewing employee handbooks and ensuring your policies are up to date. This year, you may want to review your dress code policy and ensure it is compliant with the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act which protects employees from race-based hair discrimination. California was the first state to enact the CROWN Act in 2019, leading the charge in a movement that has swept the nation.

Most recently, Texas passed the CROWN Act in September, bringing the total number of states who have ratified the act to 24. Roughly 40 local ordinances across the country have also enacted the CROWN Act.   

States that have enacted the CROWN Act: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. 

So this season, review your dress code and ensure your policy does not prohibit or discourage an employee’s hair texture or hairstyle if that style or texture is commonly associated with a particular race or national origin.  For example, your policy should not prohibit hairstyles such as twists, locs, braids, and afros. The CROWN Act is here to stay, and now is the time to review your dress code policy and practices and make sure you are in compliance.