KCNF law fellow Sacred B. Huff moderated a panel, “Race-Based Hair Discrimination in the Workplace: An Interdisciplinary Discussion” at a virtual DC Bar event on February 4, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. The discussion focused on the impact of race-based hair discrimination and current and pending CROWN Act legislation.
The speakers included Dr. Nadia E. Brown, Purdue University; Hnin Khaing, Esq., General Counsel, DC Office of Human Rights; and Dr. Jennifer Patrice Sims, University of Alabama in Huntsville.
In addition to the CROWN Act, the panel explored broader issues around race-based hair discrimination, including the historical context of how Black hair has been subject to regulation and discrimination, significant court decisions addressing hair discrimination, and the current protections against hair discrimination under D.C.’s Human Rights Act.
Dr. Sims shared insights from her sociological research regarding how one’s hairstyle may affect how others racially perceive and treat them and Dr. Nadia Brown discussed her new book, “Sister Style: The Politics of Appearance for Black Women Political Elites.”