On June 4, 2021, Nevada became the 12th state to pass the CROWN Act, banning discrimination in employment and educational opportunities based on hair texture or protective hairstyles. These include braids, locs, twists and bantu knots. The CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, was created in 2019 by Dove and the CROWN Coalition, in partnership with former California State Sen. Holly J. Mitchell. 

The UNLV Libraries has partnered with Demecina Beehn, a part-time instructor in the UNLV Department of Art who is a Curator of Special Projects & Programs from MGM Resorts Art & Culture, to develop an exhibit, “Wearing My Crown.” The exhibit features photography and multimedia by UNLV students of various textured hairstyles protected by the CROWN Act.

This We Need To Talk discussion will highlight hairstyles featured in the exhibit. Panelists will share stories about their own hairstyles and how we can continue dismantling discrimination against individuals with natural hair.

Guest Panelists

• Dina Neal, Nevada State Senator
• Erica Vital-Lazare, Professor of Creative Writing and Marginalized Voices in Dystopian Literature, College of Southern Nevada
• Ingrid Ruffin, Associate Dean and Division Director for Research and Education, UNLV University Libraries

We Need To Talk: Conversations on Racism for a more Resilient Las Vegas is educational series hosted by Claytee White, Director of the UNLV Oral History Research Center. The series, sponsored by the UNLV Libraries and the UNLV Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, features university, student, and community experts discussing issues on race and seeking solutions for a more inclusive society. The discussion will be livestreamed by UNLV TV.

Additional funding for this series has been provided by UNLV University Libraries Advisory Board Members Sara Mason.