MIAMI – July 3rd is National CROWN Act Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness for those who wear their hair naturally or curly.
In twenty states, including Florida, it remains legal to discriminate against employees and students based on their hairstyle choices.
Freedom to wear hair as it naturally grows isn’t always accepted. At CBS News Miami, staff have the liberty to wear their hair as they choose, a freedom not always available in the TV news industry.
Chelsea Jones, CBS News Miami’s Weekend Anchor, shared her experiences. “My mom gave me a perm at 4 because my hair is super thick,” she said. Managing her natural hair in Florida’s heat and humidity is challenging. “We have to be on all the time, so I do partial sew-ins most of the time to give it a more natural look. Because my hair is so natural, it’ll revert quickly to kinky curly.”
For the summer, Jones opts for braids. “Before coming here, wearing braids was not really allowed. Allowed is a strong word, but it wasn’t encouraged,” she noted.
In Florida, workers can still be told how to style their hair and can be fired over it. A bill introduced last year to prevent hair discrimination died after three months. A similar bill passed the House at the federal level but failed in the Senate.
Nikiya Carrero, another CBS News Miami reporter, embraces her natural hair. “This is who I am and who I want viewers to see me as because this is my culture, this is who I am. My hair is me,” she said.
Carrero, who is Afro-Latina, emphasizes the importance of representation. “Growing up in Miami, there weren’t many women who looked like me on air. I want little girls watching at home to understand the importance of wearing their natural hair, embracing who they are, and loving themselves.”
Dessa Bush, a licensed cosmetologist with over three decades of experience, applauds the shift toward natural styles. “I feel good seeing African American women wearing natural styles that long ago weren’t accepted,” she said. Bush advises that on TV, whether wearing locks or braids, the hairstyle should be decent and professional to be more acceptable.
CROWN stands for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair.” In 2024, there have been no new attempts by the State of Florida or on the federal level to pass any CROWN laws.
The initial CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based on hairstyle and texture in the workplace and schools, was signed five years ago in California.
