Dove And The CROWN Coalition Land Major Victory In The Push To End Hair Discrimination With The Enactment Of The CROWN Act In California

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., July 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dove and the CROWN Coalition, a national alliance comprised of the National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Color Of Change, and Dove, are excited to announce a major milestone in its efforts to bring an end to hair discrimination with California becoming the first state to enact The CROWN Act into law when SB 188 was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.

"Dove is proud to be a part of changing the narrative for Black women and girls and anyone with textured hair, and we are excited to stand with The CROWN Coalition and Senator Holly J. Mitchell to make a tangible impact in the state of California," said Esi Eggleston Bracey, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of North America Beauty and Personal Care at Unilever.  "We are overjoyed to see Governor Newsom sign The CROWN Act into law today and are looking forward to continuing to drive legislative change in other states in the months to come."

"The CROWN Act is redefining the cultural norms of 'professional images' for all people," said Senator Holly J. Mitchell, who began this important work with The CROWN Coalition in February. The CROWN Act will prohibit employers and schools from enforcing purportedly "race neutral" grooming policies restricting natural hairstyles.  Additionally, while anti-discrimination laws presently protect the choice to wear an Afro, Afros are not the only natural presentation of Black hair. SB 188 ensures protection against discrimination based on hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles in the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the California Education Code. Senator Mitchell introduced the bill and garnered the support that ushered it through the California Senate in April 2019 and the California Assembly in June 2019.  

Unfortunately, this issue is not confined to state lines.  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.

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

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 is proud to sponsor and/or support the following bills in California, New York, and New Jersey:

• Sponsor of CA Senate Bill 188 'The CROWN Act' introduced by Senator Holly J. Mitchell
• Supporter of NY S6209A introduced by NY State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey and Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright
• Supporter of NJ Senate Bill 3945; introduced by NJ State Senator Sandra B. Cunningham

These bills address unfair grooming policies that have a disparate impact on Black women, men and children and have 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 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 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.

About Western Center on Law & Poverty
Western Center fights for justice and system-wide change to secure housing, health care, racial justice and a strong safety net for low-income Californians. Western Center attains real-world policy solutions for our clients through litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, and technical assistance and legal support for the state's legal aid programs. Western Center is California's oldest and largest legal services support center. Visit wclp.org.

www.thecrownact.com

¹ Dove CROWN Research Study, 2019

SOURCE Dove