Dove & The CROWN Coalition Joins Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright (NY) To End Hair Discrimination In New York State With S6209 The CROWN Act

NEW YORK, June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dove and fellow co-founding members of the CROWN Coalition (National Urban League, Color Of Change and Western Center on Law & Poverty) are excited to extend their support to Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright (NY) and congratulate Senator Jamaal T. Bailey (Democrat | NY) as NY S6209 'The CROWN Act' passed the Senate, 46-16 on Monday, June 17 to prohibit discrimination based on natural hair or hairstyles.  

NY S6209 introduced by Senator Bailey prohibits race discrimination based on natural hair or hairstyles, which defines "race" for certain specific purposes to include, but not be limited to, ancestry, color, ethnic group identification, and ethnic background, and to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles; and defines "protective hairstyles" to include, but not be limited to, such hairstyles as braids, locks, and twists.   A recent national study by Dove¹ reveals Black women are 80 percent more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms or expectations at work.  Moreover, Black women are 1.5 times more likely to have reported being sent home or know of a Black woman sent home from the workplace because of her hair.  It is critical to address this prevalent and unjust societal bias, and it is the ambition of the CROWN Coalition to put an end to race-based hair discrimination by continuing to extend this initiative across the country.

"Discrimination based upon one's hair has no place in the state of New York," said Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright (Democrat | NY). "I appreciate the work Senator Mitchell has done in California through the introduction of the "CROWN ACT" earlier this year, and I'm pleased to partner with Senator Bailey, Chair of the Codes Committee. It's wonderful to create legislation that will protect men, women and children in the workplace and in schools – next step is to pass Assembly bill # A7797."

Dove and fellow co-founding members of the CROWN Coalition members (National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Color Of Change) are strong supporters of The CROWN Act in California, New York, and New Jersey. California SB 188 passed the California Senate in May of 2019 and is slated to go before the California Assembly this year.  In New Jersey NJ Bill S3945 was introduced in the Senate and A5564 in the Assembly. These bills continue to draw attention to cultural and racial discrimination in the workplace and addresses unfair grooming policies, extending beyond hair.

"It is our mission at Dove to shatter beauty stereotypes and ideals, championing women's individual beauty and ensuring it is respected in culture.  For too long, narrow beauty standards in this country have perpetuated unfair scrutiny and injustice for hairstyles and textures inherent to Black identity and change is crucial," said Esi Eggleston Bracey, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of North America Beauty and Personal Care at Unilever, the New Jersey-based parent company of Dove. "Through our work with the CROWN Coalition, Dove is proud to be creating a more equitable and inclusive experience for Black women and girls by advancing this important legislation in California, New York and beyond to put an end to hair discrimination." 

"The National Urban League is behind this mission and are is committed to making an impact with the CROWN Coalition," said Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League.  "Hair discrimination, whether in schools or in the workforce should simply not be allowed and we will continue to rally policy-makers and our communities to end discriminatory practices that disproportionality disproportionately affect affects our communities of color. Senator Cunningham and the state of New York have our support to turn this legislation into law."

"Color Of Change is excited to be a part of this movement to end hair discrimination in our nation," said Janaya "Future" Khan, Program Director, Media Culture and Economic Justice for Color Of Change.  "It's incredible to believe that in 2019 we have to fight for legislation that addresses grooming policies that directly affect our people in the workplace and in schools.  As members of the CROWN Coalition we will work hand in hand to support this legislation and continue to put an end to issues that oppress Black people unfairly."

"A person's professional capacity has nothing to do with whether or not they process their hair to conform to an idea of professionalism or beauty rooted firmly in European standards," said Courtney McKinney, Communications Director, Western Center on Law and Poverty. "We are a multiracial society in need of diverse thought, leadership, and experience. Simply put, our collective success relies on our commitment to respect every person in every form — hair and all."

Join the movement that's creating real change and aiding in the efforts to ensure black women and girls feel confident in expressing themselves. Sign the petition at www.thecrownact.com to help us end hair discrimination and identify how you can get involved in bringing anti-hair discrimination legislation to your state.  

About Dove
Dove started its life in 1957 in the US, with launch of the Beauty Bar, with its patented blend of mild cleansers and ¼ moisturizing cream. Dove's heritage is based on moisturization – proof not promises grew Dove from a Beauty Bar into one of the world's most beloved beauty brands.

Women have always been our inspiration and since the beginning, we have been wholly committed to providing superior care to all women and to championing real beauty in our advertising. Dove believes that beauty is for everyone. That beauty should be a source of confidence and not anxiety. Dove's mission is to inspire women everywhere to develop a positive relationship with the way they look and realize their personal potential for beauty.

For 60 years, Dove has been committed to broadening the narrow definition of beauty in the work they do. With the 'Dove Real Beauty Pledge,' Dove vows to:

1. Portray women with honesty, diversity and respect. We feature women of different ages, sizes, ethnicities, hair colour, type and style.
2. Portray women as they are in real life, with zero digital distortion and all images approved by the women they feature.
3. Help young people build body confidence and self-esteem through the Dove Self-Esteem Project, the biggest provider of self-esteem education in the world.

About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Love Beauty and Planet, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Pure Leaf, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, Simple, Sir Kensington's, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TAZO, TIGI, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) underpins the company's strategy and commits to:

• Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
• Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
• Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. In 2018, the company's Sustainable Living Brands grew 69% faster than the rest of the business, compared to 46% in 2017.

Since 2010 we have been taking action through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, halve our environmental footprint and enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business. We have already made significant progress and continue to expand our ambition – most recently committing to ensure 100% of our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognized in 2018 as sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders survey, for the eighth-consecutive year. 

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com 
For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/ 

About The CROWN Coalition 
The CROWN Coalition is a national alliance comprised of the National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Color Of Change, and Dove.

The CROWN Coalition:

• Sponsors CA Senate Bill 188 'The CROWN Act' introduced by Senator Holly J. Mitchell
• Supports NJ Senate Bill 3945; introduced by NJ State Senator Sandra B. Cunningham
• Supports NY S6209 introduced by NY State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey and NY A7737 sponsored by Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright

These bills address unfair grooming policies that have a disparate impact on Black women, men and children and has drawn attention to cultural and racial discrimination taking place within workplaces and public charter schools. The CROWN Coalition members believe diversity and inclusion are key drivers of success across all industries and sectors.

About National Urban League
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 90 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.

About Color Of Change
Color Of Change is the nation's largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by more than 1.4 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people and our allies in America. Our campaigns and initiatives win changes that matter. By designing strategies powerful enough to fight racism and injustice—in politics and culture, in the work place and the economy, in criminal justice and community life, and wherever they exist—we are changing both the written and unwritten rules of society. We mobilize our members to end practices and systems that unfairly hold Black people back, and champion solutions that move us all forward.

¹ Dove CROWN Research Study, 2019

SOURCE The CROWN Coalition