WEPA! Puerto Rico Bans Discrimination Against Natural Hairstyles with New Legislation

A new law in Puerto Rico bans discrimination against people wearing natural hairstyles.

Puerto Rico has officially accepted legislation that will ban hair discrimination against the island’s Black people who rock their natural hair, the Associated Press reports.

The U.S. territory’s governor, Pedro Pierluisi, signed the law into effect on Wednesday, July 24. It will protect those wearing Afros, curls, locs, twists, braids, and other hairstyles from discrimination as it relates to education, housing, public services, and work.

“Unfortunately, people identified as Black or Afro-descendant in Puerto Rico still face derogatory treatment, deprivation of opportunities, marginalization, exclusion, and all kinds of discrimination,” read the newly signed law.

Puerto Rico is currently home to 3.2 million people; over 1.6 million identify as being of two or more races. According to the U.S. Census, nearly 230,000 of the U.S. territory’s population consists of individuals who identify solely as Black.

“It’s a victory for generations to come, said nonprofit Taller Salud community facilitator Welmo Romero Joseph, who also noted how the law sends “a strong message that you can reach positions of power without having to change your identity.”

For Joseph, the move hits close to home. One time, a high school principal ordered him to cut his flat fop. “It was a source of pride,” said Joseph. “I was a 4.0 student. What did that have to do with my hair?”

America has a long history of Black people who have faced hair discrimination, and it has not changed in recent years. Whether it’s on the job or in school, natural hairstyles like locs, curls, and twists have either led to people being prohibited from advancing in corporate America or even school suspension.

Approximately 24 states in the U.S. have adapted their own versions of the CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” which was formed in 2019 to take a stance against hair discrimination.