The Black Resource Center (BRC) celebrated the sixth anniversary of the CROWN Act on July 3, at A C Bilbrew Library, 150 E. El Segundo Blvd., in the West Athens community of Los Angeles. The CROWN Act—short for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair—is a California law that protects Black Americans from hair discrimination in workplaces, schools, public areas, and other everyday settings.

Community members and civic leaders, including Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Kristin Rowe, an associate professor of American Studies at California State University, Fullerton, gathered to discuss the 2019 law, which prohibits discrimination based on hairstyle and hair texture. The discussion explored whether hair discrimination is a form of racial discrimination and why natural hairstyles deserve legal protection.

Supervisor Mitchell, who authored the bill, reflected on how the legislation came to life. The following is an edited version of the conversation.