FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DOVE AND THE CROWN COALITION ANNOUNCE THE PASSING OF LEGISLATION TO END HAIR DISCRIMINATION IN NEW JERSEY
State Senator Sandra B. Cunningham and Assemblywoman Angela V. McKnight Lead Effort In State with Infamous Wrestling Incident
#THECROWNACT #CROWNCOALITION
Trenton, NJ – July 17, 2019 – Dove and fellow co-founding members of the CROWN Coalition (National Urban League, Color Of Change and Western Center on Law & Poverty) are proud to announce The CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair) passed in the state legislature of New Jersey on Monday, December 16, 2019. Introduced by Senator Sandra B. Cunningham and Assemblywoman Angela V. McKnight, the bill addresses unfair grooming policies that have a disparate impact on Black women, men and children, making New Jersey the third state in the U.S. to pass this groundbreaking legislation (California and New York passed The CROWN Act in July).
The passing of The CROWN Act in New Jersey will ensure that young students like Andrew Johnson, the 16-year old wrestler from Buena Regional High School in Buena, New Jersey, will not be forced to make a decision of having his locs cut, or forfeiting an earned match, like Andrew was asked to do during the infamous December 19, 2018 incident in which the freedom to wear his hair in a natural protective hairstyle was denied for no justifiable reason.
“In 2019, it is unfortunate we have to pass legislation to further expand the definition of discrimination, to include something as natural and organic as how our hair grows from our heads,” said Senator B. Cunningham, District 31, NJ. “This legislation is necessary; it will serve as a protection for those who feel helpless in any situation where they are forced to choose between being employed, and/or being allowed to participate in a sporting event (like our own New Jersey resident Andrew Johnson), or changing their identity to make others feel comfortable.”
“As the legislative year comes to a close, New Jersey has been hard at work reforming our criminal justice system so that it will treat incarcerated women with dignity, restore voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals, and put a stop to hair discrimination. All New Jerseyans deserve to be treated with decency and respect, and each of these measures will end unequitable and disenfranchising realities that too many have been facing,” stated Senator Cory Booker. “Today’s passage of the CROWN
Act marks a historic step in banning a culture of discrimination against black hair. Hair discrimination is a civil rights violation and we must stop reinforcing racism and biases against Black hair.”
“It is our mission at Dove to champion individual beauty and ensure all beauty is respected and welcome in our society. For too long, narrow beauty standards have perpetuated unfair scrutiny and injustice for hairstyles and textures inherent to Black identity. On the anniversary of the infamous and painful wrestling incident, I am proud that New Jersey has passed The CROWN Act to put an end to hair discrimination,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of North America Beauty and Personal Care at Unilever, the New Jersey-based parent company of Dove.
“The National Urban League is behind this mission and are is committed to making an impact with the CROWN Coalition,” said Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League. “Hair discrimination, whether in schools or in the workforce should simply not be allowed and we will continue to rally policy-makers and our communities to end discriminatory practices that disproportionately affect communities of color. Senator Cunningham and the state of New Jersey have our support to turn this legislation into law.”
“Color Of Change is excited to be a part of this movement to end hair discrimination in our nation,” said Janaya “Future” Khan, Program Director, Media, Culture and Economic Justice for Color Of Change. “It’s incredible to believe that in 2019 we have to fight for legislation that addresses grooming policies that directly affect our people in the workplace and in schools. As members of the CROWN Coalition we will continue to work to put an end to issues that oppress Black people unfairly.”
Unfortunately, this issue is not confined to state lines. A recent national study by Dove reveals Black women are 80 percent more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms or expectations at work. Moreover, Black women are 1.5 times more likely to have reported being sent home or know of a Black woman sent home from the workplace because of her hair. It is critical to address this prevalent and unjust societal bias, and it is the ambition of the CROWN Coalition to put an end to race- based hair discrimination by continuing to extend this initiative across the country.
Senator Cory Booker (NJ) and Congressman Cedric Richmond (LA) introduced The CROWN Act of 2019 in both chambers of the U.S. Congress December 5, 2019. Twelve additional states have pre-filed legislation for early 2020.
Join the movement that’s creating real change and aiding in the efforts to ensure Black men, women and children feel confident in expressing themselves. Sign the petition to help us end discrimination and learn how you can get involved in bringing anti-hair discrimination legislation to your state.
The CROWN Coalition is a national alliance comprised of the National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Color Of Change, and Dove.
About The CROWN Coalition
The CROWN Coalition is proud to sponsor and/or support the following bills in California, New York, and New Jersey:
Sponsor of CA Senate Bill 188 ‘The CROWN Act’ introduced by Senator Holly J. Mitchell
Supporter of NY S6209A introduced by NY State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey and Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright
Supporter of NJ Senate Bill 3945; introduced by NJ State Senator Sandra B. Cunningham
These bills address unfair grooming policies that have a disparate impact on Black women, men and children and has drawn attention to cultural and racial discrimination taking place within workplaces and public charter schools. The CROWN Coalition members believe diversity and inclusion are key drivers of success across all industries and sectors.
About Dove
Dove started its life in 1957 in the US, with launch of the Beauty Bar, with its patented blend of mild cleansers and ¼ moisturizing cream. Dove’s heritage is based on moisturization – proof not promises grew Dove from a Beauty Bar into one of the world’s most beloved beauty brands.
Women have always been our inspiration and since the beginning, we have been wholly committed to providing superior care to all women and to championing real beauty in our advertising. Dove believes that beauty is for everyone. That beauty should be a source of confidence and not anxiety. Dove’s mission is to inspire women everywhere to develop a positive relationship with the way they look and realize their personal potential for beauty.
For 60 years, Dove has been committed to broadening the narrow definition of beauty in the work they do. With the ‘Dove Real Beauty Pledge,’ Dove vows to:
1. Portray women with honesty, diversity and respect. We feature women of different ages, sizes, ethnicities, hair colour, type and style.
2. Portray women as they are in real life, with zero digital distortion and all images approved by the women they feature.
3. Help young people build body confidence and self-esteem through the Dove Self-Esteem Project, the biggest provider of self-esteem education in the world.
About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Hellmann’s, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Love Beauty and Planet, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond’s, Popsicle, Pure Leaf, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, Simple, Sir Kensington’s, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TAZO, TIGI, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.
Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) underpins the company’s strategy and commits to:
Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.
The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. In 2018, the company’s Sustainable Living Brands grew 69% faster than the rest of the business, compared to 46% in 2017.
Since 2010 we have been taking action through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, halve our environmental footprint and enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business. We have already made significant progress and continue to expand our ambition – most recently committing to ensure 100% of our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognized in 2018 as sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders survey, for the eighth-consecutive year.
For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/
About National Urban League
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 90 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.
About Color Of Change
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by more than 1.4 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people and our allies in America. Our campaigns and initiatives win changes that matter. By designing strategies powerful enough to fight racism and injustice—in politics and culture, in the work place and the economy, in criminal justice and community life, and wherever they exist—we are changing both the written and unwritten rules of society. We mobilize our members to end practices and systems that unfairly hold Black people back, and champion solutions that move us all forward.
About Western Center on Law & Poverty
Western Center fights for justice and system-wide change to secure housing, health care, racial justice and a strong safety net for low-income Californians. Western Center attains real- world policy solutions for our clients through litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, and technical assistance and legal support for the state’s legal aid programs. Western Center is California’s oldest and largest legal services support center. Visit wclp.org.
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Marcy Polanco
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Jessica Thorpe
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Byron Edwards
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