Tempe Makes Race-Based Hair Discrimination Illegal

TEMPE, AZ — It's now illegal in Tempe to discriminate against someone based on their hair style.

Last week, the Tempe City Council voted unanimously to add the CROWN Act to its Anti-Discrimination ordinance.

CROWN stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” and is a law prohibiting race-based hair discrimination. Examples of race-based hair discrimination include being turned down for job or educational opportunities because of hair texture or hairstyles like braids, twists or bantu knots, according to a news release from the city of Tempe.

"The unanimous Council approval of the CROWN Act is a testament that our anti-discrimination ordinance is a living, breathing set of codes that will continue to expand and change as we progress as a community," said Mayor Corey Woods in the news release. "I’m thankful and proud of our community members who have brought this to our attention."

Tempe’s African American Advisory Committee and Human Relations Commission recommended the city adopt the hair discrimination ordinance. Tucson is the only other city in the state that has adopted the ordinance, and only 33 cities and counties across the country have made hair-based discrimination illegal.

The act was inspired by the Crown Research Study, which found that Black women are 30 percent more likely to be made aware of a formal workplace appearance policy than their colleagues who are not Black, according to the news release. Black women are also 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from work due to their hairstyle and are 83 percent more likely to report being judged more harshly than other women based on their looks.

Tempe's Anti-Discrimination Ordinance was initially passed in 2014. In addition to making it illegal to discriminate based on a person's hairstyle, the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance deems it unlawful to discriminate against people in Tempe based on race, color, age, religion, national origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, U.S. military veteran status or familial status.