The 3rd July is officially now a national holiday, a national hair holiday to be precise.
Created by The Crown Coalition, National Crown Day is campaigning to end hair discrimination in the workplace and at schools, which the Black community face far too often when wearing their natural hair.
The campaign found that Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair. Meanwhile, 80% have felt the need to change their natural hair in order to fit in at the office. Natural hair should be celebrated, not discouraged.
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The coalition, founded by US organisations the National Urban League, Colour of Change, The Western Centre on Law and Poverty and Dove, is celebrating the day as 'Black Hair Independence Day'.
The day marks a year since The Crown Act was signed (which stands for 'Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair'), which made it illegal in California to discriminate based on someone's hair style or texture. The law has since been adopted in New York, New Jersey and other states, but more needs to be done.
In a statement released by the campaign:
'The Black community has always had a strong tradition of passing down stories, history and cultural pride to shape future generations on what is important to remember and carry forward. Given the heightened spotlight on racial injustice, now is the time to galvanize the country to eradicate all forms of discrimination that negatively impact the Black community, including hair discrimination'.
It's important to note this isn't exclusively a US issue either. The UK is also part of the problem.
In 2016, student Ruby Williams took legal action against The Urswick School in East London after being sent home from school because her hair was deemed 'too big'.
In response to many cases similar to this, Emma Dabiri, author of Don't Touch My Hair, created a petition to have afro textured hair protected by amending the 2010 UK Equality Act, which currently doesn't specifically include hair.
To sign the petition click HERE.
The coalition is asking the Black community and allies to spread awareness of the movement using the #PassTheCrown hashtag and to sign their online petition, to encourage other US States to sign the legislation to make this form of racial inequality illegal.
To sign the petition click HERE.
Moving forward, the Crown Coalition will also help to fight other areas of racial discrimination, work to advance legislation on social change, voter suppression and economic equality. The mission may have started with hair but it's going to go much further than that.
To educate yourself and learn about the Crown Coalition visit their website HERE.
Charlotte Bitmead (she/her) is the Senior Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. She has over six years experience writing about beauty and has previously written for ELLE and The Sunday Times Style, covering everything from politics to sustainability to inclusivity within the beauty industry. When she’s not writing in-depth features, testing out the newest skincare fad or trying to decide what nail art to get, you can find her overspending in bookshops or shouting at Arsenal matches. Find her on LinkedIn
