Bill Text: NJ AJR152 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates July 3 of each year as "CROWN Act Day" in NJ.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-22 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Community Development and Women's Affairs Committee [AJR152 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-AJR152-Introduced.html
No. 152
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 22, 2024
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Designates July 3 of each year as "CROWN Act Day" in NJ.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Joint Resolution designating July 3 of each year as "CROWN Act Day" in New Jersey.
Whereas, The CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act addresses unfair grooming policies that have a disparate impact on African-American women, men, and children; and
Whereas, The CROWN Act prohibits racial discrimination against an individual based on hair, texture, or protective styles worn in the workplace or in educational settings; and
Whereas, The New Jersey Legislature passed the CROWN Act on December 16, 2019, and Governor Murphy signed it into law on December 19, 2019, making New Jersey the third state to pass the legislation after California and New York; and
Whereas, Designating July 3rd of every year CROWN Act Day in New Jersey will commemorate the passage of the impactful CROWN Act legislation and will shine a light on its importance; and
Whereas, African-American women are 80 percent more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms at work; and
Whereas, African-American women are 1.5 times more likely to have reported being sent home or know of an African-American woman who has been sent home from the workplace because of her hair; and
Whereas, African-American women's hair is 3.4 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional; and
Whereas, African-American women are 30 percent more likely to be made aware of a formal workplace appearance policy; and
Whereas, 86 percent of African-American teens who experience discrimination state they have experienced discrimination based on their hair by the age of 12; and
Whereas, Hair discrimination furthers the many barriers that African-American women, men, and children deal with on a regular basis, by limiting opportunities in the workplace and in educational settings; and
Whereas, These experiences are all too common for African-American individuals, and although the CROWN Act passed in 2019 is a step in the right direction, more awareness needs to be brought to the issue of hair discrimination; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. July 3 of each year is
designated as "CROWN Act Day" in the State of New Jersey.
2. The Governor is requested to annually issue a proclamation calling upon the public officials and citizens of this State to observe "CROWN Act Day" with appropriate activities and programs.
3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This joint resolution designates July 3 of each year as "CROWN Act Day" in the State of New Jersey in recognition of the passage of the CROWN Act in New Jersey. July 3 has been designated National Crown Day by the CROWN Coalition to commemorate California signing the CROWN Act into law, being the first state to do so.
African-American women, men, and children regularly deal with discrimination in the workplace and in educational settings due to their hair. Hair textures and styles have been the focus of bias and discrimination, especially in professional settings, for too long.
A study completed in 2019 by the JOY Collective found data that is alarming in the 21st century. African-American women are 80 percent more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms and fit in at work. African-American women are 1.5 times more likely to have been sent home or know of an African-American woman who has been sent home from work because of her hair. African-American women's hair is 3.4 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional. Finally, African-American women are 30 percent more likely to be made aware of a formal workplace appearance policy.
African-American men and children are not immune to the effects of the statistics found in the 2019 study. In 2018, an incident occurred with an African-American 16-year old boy named Andrew Johnson, spurring the passage of the CROWN Act in this State. He was denied from competing in a wrestling match at his New Jersey high school unless he cut his dreadlocks. A 2021 study by the JOY Collective found that 86 percent of African-American teens who experience discrimination state they have experienced discrimination based on their hair by the age of 12. African-American individuals face many forms of discrimination in the workplace and in educational settings and it is time that more attention be brought to the issue of hair discrimination. Designating July 3 as "CROWN Act Day" will highlight the 2019 passage of the CROWN Act in New Jersey and will create an annual opportunity for New Jerseyans to learn about the issue of hair discrimination.
