CROWN Act heading to Pennsylvania governor's desk

Pennsylvania is set to become the 28th state in the nation to enact legislation to prevent hair discrimination. The state Senate passed the CROWN Act earlier this week, sending that bill to the governor's desk.

State Rep. La'Tasha D. Mayes of Pennsylvania's 24th House District has been one of the two lawmakers spearheading this for years now. After multiple setbacks she and Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton encountered, they are closer than ever to making hair discrimination in Pennsylvania illegal.

"It's surreal – it really hasn't sank all the way in just yet," Mayes said.

The CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, is an amendment to the state's Human Relations Act. It adds hair type, hairstyle and hair texture as protected classes — like race.

"[It] also provides religious protections as well for head coverings," Mayes said.

The state Senate's vote was not close. The final tally was 44-3, with 23 Republicans joining Democrats.

The effort took a while, though. Mayes said the bill hadn't moved in previous sessions before she got to the House two years ago.

"Our bill languished in the Senate for over a year and a half, and it died at the end of 2024," she said. "It was a herculean effort to make sure that we could get this done."

Mayes says the CROWN Act will protect Pennsylvanians, especially Black people, who are barred from economic opportunities and places like schools just because of their hair.

Common protected hairstyles under CROWN laws, according to GovDocs.com, include braids, twists, afros and locs.

"This is going to have social and cultural impact for generations," she said.

According to GovDocs.com, 27 states and Washington, D.C., have already enacted CROWN Act legislation.