CROWN Act

The so-called Crown Act was signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on July 9. Missouri became the 28th state to pass legislation that makes it illegal to discriminate based on the texture or style of one's hair.

Many House Democrats did not vote for the bill because it contains language that they say could allow campus student groups to legally engage in discriminatory behavior.

The Senate also passed the CROWN Act, which would ban discrimination against natural Black hair in educational settings.

Missouri is one of 27 states that have yet to pass an act protecting Black people from hair discrimination at work and school, but there are grassroots efforts to relearn how to love and care for afro-texture hair.