House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, has led the effort to pass the Crown Act for six years. After McClinton was elected to lead the chamber in 2023, Rep. La\u2019Tasha Mayes, D-Allegheny, took over sponsoring the legislation.<\/p>\n
McClinton told the crowd gathered at Island Design Natural Hair Studio that her own mother was a bit skeptical of how the Crown Act could help people statewide.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aMom, if you are watching, this is going to help people by making sure that wherever you work or wherever you’re applying for a job, they can’t look at your hair and size you up \u2014 not based on your qualifications and all of the professional development you have and all of your education.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aThey will not look at your hair and decide you can’t work here,\u201d McClinton continued. \u201cThey will not look at your hair and decide you don’t belong in the C-Suite. They will not look at your hair and say, \u2018You can’t be in the boardroom.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Shapiro said McClinton \u201cpersisted\u201d against pushback during this year\u2019s state budget impasse, to ensure the Crown Act was passed by the Republican-led Senate this year.<\/p>\n
In 2022, more than 900 complaints were filed that dealt with racial discrimination involving hair texture and protective hairstyles, according to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission report that year.<\/p>\n