Dove, Crown Coalition Applaud Senator Cory Booker’s Leadership on Crown Act, Will Continue To Push Until Act Becomes Federal Law

This week, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) took to the United States Senate Floor and made the case for the passage of the CROWN Act by unanimous consent.

The CROWN Act provides legal protection against racial discrimination based on natural hair texture and protective hairstyles including locs, cornrows, twists, braids, and Bantu knots. Disappointingly, the CROWN Act did not pass in the U.S. Senate, but we remain grateful for Senator Booker’s bi-partisan leadership as the original lead sponsor in Congress.

In 2018, Dove launched the national effort to advance legislation to outlaw hair discrimination as part of its unwavering commitment to beauty inclusivity, becoming the co-founder of the CROWN Coalition to “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair”. The CROWN Coalition is a powerful alliance including — the National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, and Color Of Change, along with 100+ CROWN Act supporting organizations.

The CROWN Coalition and the CROWN Act movement were co-created by four Black women, Esi Eggleston Bracey (President of Unilever USA and CEO of Unilever North America Personal Care) who is a longtime champion of beauty inclusivity and executive sponsor, Adjoa B. Asamoah (ABA Consulting CEO and chief social Impact and legislative strategist for the CROWN Act), and JOY Collective co-owners Kelli Richardson Lawson and Orlena Nwokah Blanchard (CEO and President, respectively), the marketing and communications masterminds for the CROWN Act movement. Together, this team widely known as the “Core Four” launched the public policy and culture shifting campaign, with former State Senator Holly J. Mitchell introducing the first bill in 2019. The co-creators have tirelessly worked to drive awareness of the social and economic harm caused by hair discrimination. Today, the CROWN Act or legislation inspired by the CROWN Act provides legal protections to approximately 24 million Black citizens across the United States.

Dove and all CROWN Coalition members believe diversity and inclusion are key drivers of success across all industries, sectors, and society at large.

The CROWN Act and laws inspired by the CROWN Act have been enacted in 19 states. For more information and a full list of states that have outlawed race-based hair discrimination in addition to CROWN Coalition members visit www.thecrownact.com.