CROWN Act praised by local advocates against hair discrimination

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San Antonio City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez gathers with members of The Lemonade Circle outside of City Council Chambers on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Teen members of The Lemonade Circle were asking for the passage of the CROWN Act, which calls for banning hair discrimination based on race, culture, ethnicity or national origin. The Lemonade Circle is an organization that seeks to empower young women of color.

Roger Moreau said he was fired from his job at a tech company for not cutting his locs.

Davette Mabrie (left) steps outside her red door with her longtime client, LaShonda Hollins. Mabrie who runs DavetteÕs Braids and Locs has been braiding hair for more than 50 years.

Iman Zakaria, left, a member of The Lemonade Circle, converses with San Antonio City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez in City Council Chambers on Wednesday, March 1. Teen members of The Lemonade Circle were asking for the passage of the CROWN Act, which calls for banning hair discrimination based on race, culture, ethnicity or national origin. The Lemonade Circle is an organization that seeks to empower young women of color.

Davette Mabrie does a technique called palm rolling during a session with longtime client, LaShonda Hollins. Mabrie runs her own business, DavetteÕs Braids and Locs, and has been braiding hair professionally for more than 50 years.

Ten years ago, Roger Moreau was fired from a job for one reason — his hair.

He said he’d worked at the San Antonio tech company for five years, wearing his hair in locs down his back to his shoulder blades. When a larger corporation bought the company, new managers asked Moreau to cut his hair.

He said no. Two weeks later, they instituted a new dress code for men. When the managers asked again, Moreau said no.

"It's part of my identity, how I see myself," Moreau said.

They were willing to let him stay if he wore a wig. When he refused, they fired him.

"I thought it was an asinine reason," Moreau said.

The CROWN Act, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott last month, bans racial discrimination based on hairstyles such as Afros, braids and cornrows in the workplace, schools and housing. CROWN stands for "Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair."

Iman Zakaria, right, a member of The Lemonade Circle, converses with San Antonio City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez outside of City Council chambers on Wednesday, March 1. Teen members of The Lemonade Circle were asking for the passage of the CROWN Act, which calls for banning hair discrimination based on race, culture, ethnicity or national origin. The Lemonade Circle is an organization that seeks to empower young women of color.

READ MORE: Gov. Abbott signs CROWN Act into law, protecting against hairstyle discrimination

State Rep. Rhetta A. Bowers, D-Rowlett, authored and introduced the measure titled House Bill 567 on Nov. 14, 2022. It goes into effect Sept. 1.

Moreau said he thought the passage of the law was great but that it's a shame it was necessary. He said he has no issues concerning his shoulder-length hair at his present job.

"It's a pretty good feeling," Moreau said. "The fact that kids can get a job and not worry about if their hair is accepted is great. It's fantastic. Judging others by appearance, we all do it in a certain sense, but it shouldn't be done."

Austin became the first city in Texas in June 2022 to pass the act that's law in 20 states, 45 cities and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A similar movement had been pitched in San Antonio.

In March, six teen members of the Lemonade Circle addressed Mayor Ron Nirenberg and City Council to implement the act locally. The Lemonade Circle is a nonprofit founded by educator Brandi Coleman to mentor and empower girls of color from the fifth through 12th grades. The teens had support in council chambers from the San Antonio chapter of The Links, Girl Up and family members.

Janabou Diallo, 16, spoke about hearing slights about her curls from elementary school teachers. Janabou said people needed to know that her "character lies far deeper than the surface."

"My hair is not my character," she said.

The group collaborated with District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, who filed a proposal for the council's consideration. The councilman said the teen's leadership exemplified young people working to build a better future.

Coleman said this week the young women in the Lemonade Circle, who stood before Nirenberg and the council to advocate for passing the CROWN Act in San Antonio, were "extremely elated to hear about the historic moment."

READ MORE: ‘My hair is not my character’: Teens ask San Antonio council to ban natural hair discrimination

Teen members of The Lemonade Circle speak in City Council chambers on Wednesday, March 1, asking for the passage of the CROWN Act, which calls for banning hair discrimination based on race, culture, ethnicity, or national origin.

"They were able to see firsthand how using their voices to speak up for injustice can create historic, monumental change," Coleman said.

Hair discrimination was an issue young and older Black and Latino residents in San Antonio had long sought to see resolved. Hair stylists, like braid artist Davette Mabrie, had fought the bias for years.

Mabrie, the founder of the San Antonio Natural Hair Society, has waited more than 40 years for legislative action.

Owner of Davette's Braids and Locs on the Northeast Side, Mabrie said many of her clients are active-duty military and veterans whose hairstyle choices have challenged armed forces' rules and regulations. In 2017, she spoke out on CNN and the New York Times when the Army dropped its ban on soldiers wearing dreadlocks.

"I’m thanking God for this law to be in place," Mabrie said. "Wearing natural hair should be the norm. A long time ago, there were certain words that we no longer use. The younger generation don't know about those words because now it's the norm."

She said the act is a great opportunity to teach others about the right everyone has to wear super curly hair, braids and comb-free locs.

"We still have work to do," Mabrie said. "There are still more states that need to pass this important law."

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