Controlling the Crown: Legal Efforts to Professionalize Black Hair

Abstract

Similar to other aspects of life, White cultural norms influence the evaluations and expectations placed on Black women in the workplace. Even though Bo Derek inspired many White women to wear braids after her character in the film 10, the New York District Court sided with American Airlines when Renee Rogers sued her employer for denying her the right to wear similar braids to work. Nearly 40 years later, laws in California and New York City have finally acknowledged this approach as racial discrimination by making it illegal for any public and private entity from discriminating against Black hair. Building off these competing legal interpretations, this article analyzes the discrimination targeted at Black women’s hairstyles, the directions provided by both the New York City Human Rights Law and the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act, and the relevance that this issue has for Black women across the nation.