We Need To Talk About The CROWN Act

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. The exhibit will be on display on the first floor in Lied Library throughout the Spring 2023 semester. To understand the CROWN Act’s impact, Claytee White, director of the UNLV Oral History Research Center, will host a discussion highlighting 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. 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