Illinois employers will be prohibited from discriminating against workers based on their ethnic hairstyles, under a new law signed recently by Governor JB Pritzker.
The CROWN Act stands for “Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair.” The law comes in response to reports of workers being disciplined for having dreadlocks, braids, or other hairstyles traditionally associated with the Black community.
Pritzker signed a law last year outlawing such discrimination in schools. The new law, effective January 1st, extends those protections to other areas, including work, housing, and public accommodations.
