Hair Discrimination and the CROWN Act

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School

COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language

SEL STANDARDS*: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making

What is hair discrimination and how does it impact individuals and society?

For centuries, Black people, especially Black women and girls, have faced hair discrimination. Studies indicate that Black girls as young as five years old experience hair discrimination and Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home or know of a Black woman sent home from the workplace due to hair discrimination. The CROWN Act, which as of September 2024 has passed in 27 states and Washington, DC, aims to address those inequities by prohibiting discrimination based on hair texture and hair style. Passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2022, if passed by the Senate and signed by the President, it would prohibit hair texture and hair style discrimination in K-12 schools and workplaces across the U.S.

About the Lesson Plan

This lesson provides an opportunity for students to learn what the CROWN Act is and the need for the bill, reflect on real-life examples of hair discrimination and on their own point of view about this issue through writing and delivering a speech.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will understand what the CROWN Act is.
• Students will learn about real-life examples of hair texture and style discrimination.
• Students will analyze the need for the CROWN Act.
• Students will reflect on their own perspective on the CROWN Act and hair discrimination and write a speech that reflects their own point of view.

* Based on CASEL's SEL Framework