ETHNIC HAIR PROTECTIONS MOVE FORWARD IN MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE

Rep. Esther Agbaje.Contributed / Paul Battaglia

DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE: ST. PAUL — A bill that would create specific protections against discrimination based on ethnic hairstyles has passed in the Minnesota House and awaits a vote in the Senate.

The CROWN Act, sponsored by Rep. Esther Agbaje, DFL-Minneapolis, would add hairstyle protections to the state’s existing human rights statute. If signed into law by the governor, hairstyles and textures would be added to the definition of race in the Minnesota Human Rights Act, offering protections for “braids, locs and twists.”

“This language will clarify that Minnesota will not tolerate discrimination based on hair. It will clearly define that no one should be prevented from a job or education because of the way their hair grows naturally out of their head,” Agbaje said ahead of a House floor vote on her bill last week. “We know that racial discrimination is not always overt, and this bill ensures that discrimination based on biases or stereotypes can be stopped or held accountable.” Read more.