Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks on House Floor in Support of CROWN Act
Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee spoke on the floor in support of H.R. 2116, the CROWN Act, which today passed out of the House. This legislation would make it illegal to discriminate against a person based on their hair texture or style if it’s commonly associated with a particular race or national origin.
Watch Congresswoman Lee's remarks on the House floor and view a transcript of her speech below.
Full remarks:
THANK YOU, MADAM SPEAKER. I RISE IN STRONG SUPPORT OF H.R. 2116, THE CREATING A RESPECTFUL AND OPEN WORLD FOR NATURAL HAIR ACT, COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE CROWN ACT. I'D LIKE TO THANK SPEAKER PELOSI, CHAIRMAN NADLER, AND, OF COURSE, CONGRESSWOMAN BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN FOR BRINGING THIS BILL TO THE FLOOR. AND LET ME JUST FIRST SAY, WE ALL KNOW -- AND YOU HEARD THE DEBATE THAT THIS BILL WILL TAKE AIM AT PROHIBITING RACE-BASED HAIR DISCRIMINATION. BUT LET ME TELL THE OTHER SIDE. I AM AN AMERICAN, AND IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AND TO MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. YOUR ARGUMENTS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE OUTRAGEOUS, BUT THEY'RE NOT SURPRISING THAT REPUBLICANS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY TRY TO DIMINISH THE HUMANITY OF BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE, TRYING TO UPHOLD WHITE SUPREMACY EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
JUST LISTEN TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IN TERMS OF ARGUING AGAINST THIS BILL. FOR DECADES, BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PENALIZED FOR WEARING HAIRSTYLES, NATURAL HAIRSTYLES DEEMED AS MESSY, UNRULY, UNPROFESSIONAL. WE'VE SEEN STUDENTS HUMILIATED AND UNFAIRLY DISCIPLINED BECAUSE THEIR BRAIDED HAIR EXTENSIONS OR LOCS WERE CONSIDERED A VIOLATION OF THE DRESS CODE. IN THE WORKPLACE, BLACK PEOPLE WITH BRAIDS, TWISTS, LOCS, OR NO HAIR ARE OFTEN PERCEIVED AS LESS PROFESSIONAL THAN PEOPLE WITH STRAIGHTENED HAIR WHICH NEGATIVELY IMPACTS THEIR ABILITY TO GET PROMOTED OR GET RAISES.
YES, PERSONALLY, I'VE ALWAYS WORN MY HAIR HOWEVER I'VE CHOSE. I'VE WORN IT STRAIGHT, BRAIDED, SPIKED, I'VE WORN IT CURLY. I'VE WORN IT BIG, NATURAL. YOU NAME IT. YOU NAME IT. EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE CHOICES WITHOUT FEAR OF REPERCUSSION. HAIR DISCRIMINATION IS ROOTED IN SYSTEMIC RACISM AND IS A REAL BARRIER TO ADVANCEMENT AND EMPOWERMENT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES. I'VE BEEN FIGHTING TO END THIS DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE FOR YEARS. IN 2014, THE WOMEN OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS URGED THE ARMY TO RESCIND ARMY REGULATION 671, WHICH PROHIBITED MANY HAIRSTYLES WORN BY AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN AND OTHER WOMEN OF COLOR. AND I LED AN AMENDMENT IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2015 DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL TO BAN FUNDING FOR THIS DISCRIMINATORY –
WE PUT THIS IN THE DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL TO BAN FUNDING FOR THIS DISCRIMINATORY RULE. THE MILITARY UNDERSTOOD IT. DUE TO OUR ADVOCACY, A FEW YEARS LATER, THE U.S. NAVY REMOVED THEIR DISCRIMINATORY POLICY, ALLOWING WOMEN, ESPECIALLY WOMEN OF COLOR, TO WEAR THEIR HAIR IN DREADLOCKS, LARGE BUNS, BRAIDS, AND PONYTAILS. WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES AND FUTURE GENERATIONS TO TAKE ACTION HERE IN CONGRESS TO BREAK DOWN THESE BARRIERS. EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SHOW UP AS THEIR AUTHENTIC SELVES AND PASSING THE CROWN ACT IS A MAJOR STEP IN THAT DIRECTION. I URGE MY COLLEAGUES TO VOTE YES, AND I YIELD BACK.
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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. She serves as Co-Chair of the Steering & Policy Committee, former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chair Emeritus of the Progressive Caucus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Health Task Force, and Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus. She also serves as Chair of the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. As a member of the House Democratic Leadership, she is the highest ranking Black woman in the U.S. Congress.