Republican lawmakers in West Virginia have killed a bill that would have banned discrimination against Black hairstyles, known as the CROWN Act, in a blow for Black hair advocates in the state.
Despite initial optimism that this would be the year when lawmakers pass a bill to prohibit race-based hair discrimination, supporters were disappointed earlier this week when lawmakers killed the CROWN Act by taking it off the Senate floor and sending it back to the Senate Finance Committee.
Sen. Eric Tarr (Republican), the finance chair, did not take the bill back up, citing concerns that lawsuits over discrimination against West Virginians based on their hair styles would cost the state too much money.
Black West Virginians have been pushing for the CROWN Act for years. There have been instances both in the state and nationally where Black people have been discriminated against when wearing their hair naturally or in traditional styles.
“There’s absolutely no reason why anyone should have to walk into an office or classroom and have to defend their hair,” Katonya Hart, who has pushed for the legislation for several years, said.
[SOURCE:mountainstatespotlight]
