Tempe approves act to prevent discrimination on hairstyles

Published: Monday, November 15, 2021 - 10:53am
Updated: Monday, November 15, 2021 - 6:16pm

Tempe recently passed an ordinance called the CROWN Act. It bans discrimination based on someone's hairstyles.

The ordinance is a measure to prevent discrimination in schools and in workplaces.

Brian Fox is with BASE Arizona, a group that works to empower the Black community in the state. He says the measure will help prevent more nuanced forms of racism. 

“People might not feel comfortable discriminating against someone outright because of their race. There are now more nuanced methods of discriminating in the forms of dress codes, based on hairstyles that generally take the form of one particular race," Fox said. 

He added hairstyles are personal freedoms that should not be stereotyped. Tucson also adopted a similar ordinance earlier this year. 

Race + Diversity Social Justice