Inside a West Philadelphia hair salon Tuesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a law solidifying protections against hair discrimination in the state.

The CROWN Act, which stands for "Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair," prohibits discrimination based on a person's hairstyle, type or texture. Pennsylvania is the 28th state to pass a version of the CROWN Act.

Shapiro signed the legislation at the Island Design Natural Hair Studio, which specializes in creating and caring for natural hairstyles.

"This is a place where the community gets nurtured, and folks get to walk in and walk out looking and feeling their absolute best," Shapiro said. "I think that's noble work."

"Wearing our crown is very important to me," said Lorraine Ruley, who has owned Island Design Natural Hair Studio for 24 years.

Ruley has had lots of clients come to her salon to have their braids taken out or locs cut because their hairstyles were considered "unprofessional."

"'Lorraine, I have to take these braids out. I have a job interview,'" Ruley said. "Or, 'Lorraine, I have to cut my locs down because my job says it's too long."    

House Speaker Joanna McClinton, who worked on the CROWN Act legislation for six years, said she changed her hair while in law school over the same concerns.

"I never wore braids from law school to being a public defender for seven years in this city, because I always had a perception that it would not be respected," McClinton said.

U.S. Rep. La'Tasha D. Mayes, a West Philadelphia native who now represents parts of Pittsburgh, was the lead sponsor on the bill and said the fight will help improve lives across Pennsylvania.

"Hair discrimination has taken confidence from our children, but that ends today," Mayes said. "Hair discrimination has taken dignity from workers, but that ends today. It has taken access to economic opportunities, hopes and dreams, but that begins to end today."

The law bans discrimination in the workplace or schools based on someone's natural hairstyle or texture. Protected hairstyles include locs, braids, twists, afros and more.

"They will not look at your hair and say you cannot work here. They will not look at your hair and say you do not belong," McClinton said.

According to the governor, in 2022 more than 900 complaints of racial discrimination based on hair were made to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

"It grows from your scalp," Ruley said. "It's a part of who we are."

Ruley says she's looking forward to telling clients to think twice before they cut their hair.

For lawmakers like McClinton and Mayes, it's a big step for the next generation, including Mayes' 2-year-old daughter, who joined her Tuesday.

"We are changing the course of her future," Mayes said. "We're changing it not only for my daughter, but for the children of this commonwealth."

The bill passed in the state Senate on Nov. 19 by a vote of 44-3, eight months after receiving the bill from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

At the federal level, the CROWN Act was first introduced in the House of Representatives in 2021 and passed in the chamber in 2023.

Last year, the CROWN Act was reintroduced in both the House and Senate, but has not yet been passed in Congress.