Search
Close this search box.

Anti-Discrimination Law Passes Thanks to Hartford Students

On September 14, 2020, the Hartford City Council passed the CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair), which prohibits the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locks, twists or bantu knots.

The bill was introduced to the Council by students in Advocacy to Legacy, a nonprofit organization that teaches individuals and communities how to advocate for themselves. Each summer, students in the program choose a project to work on. Advocacy to Legacy supports them with advocacy training, research guidance, project planning, media relations/campaign implementation and presentation/public speaking preparation.

After researching its history, seven students, aged 14 to 17 years old, chose to work on the CROWN Act for the City of Hartford. They wrote individual position papers and a formal presentation for Councilwoman Shirley Surgeon, Chair of the Economic Committee, whom they asked to sponsor the bill. After asking them lots of questions, Ms. Surgeon agreed to be the sponsor and requested that they write a draft resolution. Councilwoman Surgeon shepherded the bill through the City Council internal processes, garnering support from Majority Leader T.J. Clark, Nick Lebron, Marilyn Rossetti, Wildaliz Bermudez and John Gale, as well as from local residents during public hearings. The resolution passed without issue or concern.

Hartford may be the first city in Connecticut to pass the CROWN Act. It is still on hold at the state level — public hearings were held in March, but the government was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic before it came up for a vote.

First introduced in California in January 2019 and signed into law on July 3, 2019, the inaugural CROWN Act expanded the definition of race in the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and state Education Code, to ensure protection in workplaces and in K-12 public and charter schools. The CROWN Coalition is an alliance of organizations, including founding members Dove, National Urban League, Color Of Change and Western Center on Law and Poverty, that are dedicated to the advancement of anti-discrimination legislation across the United States.

Share this article:

See More Articles

Close the gap: Racial equity is fundamental to our health

There is so much in our hearts and minds following these tumultuous past few months and intense past few days. This is a moment to consider the causes of the consequences that are now on full display. It’s time to call out what led to such health disparities and what will it take to improve outcomes for all.

All Hands on Deck

When Covid-19 hit the US, we asked ourselves: Now that everyone is just trying to stay alive and save jobs, is Wellville just a distraction? We can’t just preach about the long term and what people want to achieve by the end of the Wellville project while they are busy responding to the short term. Instead, we tried a different question: How can we build a better long-term future even as we address current needs?

Notes from the annual Wellville Gathering

A this year’s Wellville Gathering, teams from the Wellville 5 communities explored what it will take to shift long-term thinking and action among institutions, people and systems.

The 2018 Wellville Gathering

The theme of the 2018 Wellville Gathering was to ask a simple question: What story do we want to tell at the end of the 10-year Wellville project, on December 31, 2024? Each Wellville community answered this question.

North Hartford Wellville: 2017 Year in Review

As we dig into our plans for 2018, it’s worth taking a look back to the community health achievements for each Wellville community. Here’s the 2017 Year in Review for North Hartford.

The Investor’s View: Creating Value on the Way to Wellville

As “investors” who selected and then made a 10-year commitment of time and support to five communities and their local health collaboratives, we’re betting on the long game: the ongoing creation of value as teams endure the inevitable twists and turns—and make the most of opportunities—along the way to Wellville.