CROWN Act Press Releases
HOBOKEN, N.J., July 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dove and the CROWN Coalition will celebrate the sixth annual National CROWN Day, also known as Black Hair Independence Day, on July 3rd, commemorating the inaugural signing of the first CROWN Act on July 3, 2019. The CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” is legislation that prohibits race-based hair discrimination in workplaces and K-12 public schools.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., July 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, July 3, Dove and the CROWN Coalition celebrate the fifth National CROWN Day, commemorating the inaugural signing of the first CROWN Act (July 3, 2019) to "Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair." This year's celebration includes the annual CROWN Awards and a call to action to join the movement to end race-based hair discrimination nationwide and showcase #CROWNLove on social media.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- National CROWN Day, presented by Dove and the CROWN Coalition, is back and expanded to a two-week celebration to commemorate the inaugural signing of the first CROWN Act (July 3, 2019) to "Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair." This year's celebrations mark the fourth CROWN Day, and will kick-off during the 2023 BET Awards, followed by several signature events during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans, LA. Read more.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Dove announced a strategic alliance with "Gracie's Corner," a beloved children's YouTube series, to celebrate the beauty of natural hair and help educate families about the CROWN movement and need to Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. In this special new short titled "Gracie's CROWN," premiering on the "Gracie's Corner" YouTube channel on Monday, June 12, 2023, at 8:00 am EST, Gracie explains the importance of loving your hair and the CROWN Act to her audience and their parents. Read more.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Feb. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of Dove's ongoing commitment to help pass The CROWN Act and end race-based hair discrimination nationwide, the brand has partnered with LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, who is committed to creating equal access to economic opportunity and creating more equitable outcomes for all professionals. While progress has been made to end hair discrimination with the passage of The CROWN Act in some states across the US, race-based hair discrimination remains a systemic problem in the workplace – from hiring practices to daily workplace interactions – disproportionately impacting Black women's employment opportunities and professional advancement. Read more.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J.: On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, Governor Charlie Baker (R) signed The CROWN Act into law, prohibiting hair discrimination in schools and workplaces. Representative Steven Ultrino (D-Boston) first introduced the bill which was co-sponsored by Representative Chynah Tyler (D-Boston), Senator Adam Gomez (D-Springfield), and Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-Middlesex). Read more.
BOSTON GLOBE: Massachusetts follows 17 other states in adopting language known as the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, or CROWN, Act. Now, it’s illegal in the Commonwealth to discriminate against a person for donning styles including, but not limited to, braids, locs, twists, and Bantu knots. Proponents say the law is a crucial first step in reversing centuries of harm perpetrated against Black Americans because of their natural hair textures. Read more.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Dove announced the talent line-up for National CROWN Day's weekend celebration. Since 2018, Dove along with the CROWN Coalition have championed the CROWN Act; a tremendous and active movement, resulting in 17 states officially enacting the CROWN Act legislation into law, U.S. (United States) Virgin Islands, first U.S. territory to make hair discrimination illegal; grown the CROWN Coalition from 4 members to 90+ and secured over 400K petition signatures. Now, it's time to celebrate Black Hair Independence! Read more.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National CROWN Day is the commemoration of the inaugural signing of the first CROWN Act legislation in the United States in 2019 to "Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair." Presented by Dove and the CROWN Coalition, National CROWN Day is back for its third year with a week-long celebration leading up to the signature star-studded CROWN Awards on Sunday, July 3, 2022. Read more.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The CROWN Coalition, a national alliance founded by Dove, National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, and Color Of Change, along with 90+ members of the CROWN Coalition are excited to announce a few new champions of the CROWN Act. Maine Governor Janet Mills signed LD 598, the CROWN Act into law on April 20, 2022. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed SB 136, the CROWN Act into law on May 27, 2022. Most recently Louisiana, Illinois, and Alaska all passed legislation to make hair discrimination illegal in their state and are all awaiting their Governor's signature. Read more.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., /PRNewswire/ -- The CROWN Coalition, a national alliance founded by Dove, National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty and Color Of Change, along with over 90 members of the CROWN Coalition praise the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the CROWN Act of 2022. Led by Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey's 12th congressional district), along with 116 cosponsors, the Democratic-led House voted 235-189 to pass the CROWN Act. Read more.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The US House on Friday passed legislation that would ban race-based hair discrimination in employment and against those participating in federally assisted programs, housing programs, and public accommodations. The Democratic-led House voted 235-189 to pass the CROWN Act, which stands for "Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair." The bill seeks to protect against bias based on hair texture and protective styles, including locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros. Read more.
EBONY -- Dove’s Short Film ‘As Early As Five’ Is a Wake-Up Call Against Hair Discrimination. Can you imagine a world that did not dismiss you for the way in which you wear your natural hair? Dove can. Beloved body care brand Dove just released a new report, Dove’s 2021 CROWN Research Study for Girls, which unveiled the alarming rate and age at which Black girls experience hair discrimination. Read more.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Jan. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Dove releases a NEW body of research, "Dove 2021 CROWN Research Study for Girls," unveiling the alarming rate and young age at which Black girls experience hair discrimination in schools. As part of the brand's ongoing commitment to ending race-based hair discrimination via The CROWN Act legislation (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair), the study reveals that 53% of Black mothers whose daughters have experienced hair discrimination say their daughters experienced the discrimination as early as five years old, and approximately 86% of Black teens who experience discrimination have endured it by the age of 12.
Fueled by these research findings, Dove released a short film, As Early As Five, inspired by the far too many real stories of those who have experienced hair discrimination and bias in both schools and the workplace. As Early As Five depicts three scenarios of race-based hair discrimination experienced by a girl – starting in elementary school, in high school, and into adulthood – all inspired by real-life events. Read more.