Peduto submits legislation to protect Black Pittsburghers from hairstyle discrimination

Black Pittsburghers would be protected from hairstyle discrimination in legislation Mayor Bill Peduto is submitting to City Council this week.

“Black hair is and always has been professional, but that has not always been reflected by employers, schools or agencies in this city,” Peduto said in a statement. “This legislation affirms our commitment to improving outcomes for Black residents and make certain that they do not face natural hair discrimination in the workplace, when searching for a home, or when entering a business.”

Called the CROWN Act — Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair — the legislation adds “hairstyles and protective cultural textures and hairstyles” language to the city code governing discrimination.

“This would add more explicit protections,” Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations Executive Director Megan Stanley said Monday.

Black people who face this discrimination have had to deal with it for a long time, Stanley said.

A study by the Joy Collective, a marketing firm, found that 80% of Black women felt they needed to alter their natural hair to fit into a professional setting. It also found Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair.

As city leaders address racial justice reforms, this law is important, she said, because it spells out that discriminating against Black people because of their hairstyle isn’t legal.

Pittsburgh’s Gender and Equity Commission’s 2019 report on gender and race inequalities detailed ways that a person’s race hampers the way they are treated in Pittsburgh.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Kathi Elliott, executive director of Gwen’s Girls, a North Side-based nonprofit that works to improve the lives of girls and woman in the region. “It shows some progress is being made.”

Similar laws have been passed in California, Colorado and New Jersey. Measures have also passed the U.S. and Pennsylvania House of Representatives, although it isn’t yet federal or state law, and Philadelphia council is also considering a similar law.

“We know it happens on a regular basis,” Elliott said of people being treated differently because of their hairstyle.

The law would provide people legal recourse and the ability to file a complaint with the Commission on Human Relations, Elliott said.

It also sends a message that discrimination of any kind won’t be tolerated in Pittsburgh, Elliott said.

Council will take up the legislation when it meets Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations will also be releasing guidance for landlords, employers and business owners about how the law will affect them, Stanley said.