Friends,

Yesterday, I proudly presided as Speaker during the House debate of the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act — legislation that would finally ban race-based hair discrimination in the United States.

I’m leading this bill with Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Gwen Moore, and Barbara Lee because it’s past time we stop hair discrimination from harming communities across the country.

Black people — especially women and girls — face backlash at work and school simply for wearing their hair in natural or protective styles, like tightly curled, in locs, cornrows, twists, braids, or Bantu knots, Afros, and other styles.

It’s not just a temporary setback — institutional retaliation against hairstyles can push Black girls out of school and hurt Black women’s careers.

We can’t let this blatant racism continue. The CROWN Act is already law in a dozen states and is gaining momentum in many other states, cities, and towns. The bill passed recently in the Minnesota House as well, and I’m proud to fight to pass this priority for my state in Congress.

Let’s keep up the energy around the CROWN Act and show an outpouring of support: Will you add your name as a citizen co-sponsor of the CROWN Act today to speak out against race-based hair discrimination?

In solidarity,

Ilhan Omar