Hair discrimination isn't banned in Wisconsin. This local official wants to change that.

Twenty states across the country, including Illinois and Minnesota, have passed legislation that prohibits race-based hair discrimination. Wauwatosa passed a resolution that asks for Wisconsin to do the same.

The legislation, named the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act, was originally proposed in 2019 in Wisconsin by Rep. Lakeshia Myers. The CROWN Act protects against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles, like braids, locs, twists and Bantu knots.

It could also pass federally — the House of Representatives passed the CROWN act in March 2022.

Wauwatosa Ald. Sean Lowe's resolution was unanimously passed by the city's government affairs committee on April 25.

The city's support for the CROWN Act bill, cosponsored by Sen. Lena Taylor, was unanimously approved by the common council on May 2.

"(The resolution) sends a very strong message to the city of Wauwatosa that (city officials) are in support of not only the CROWN Act, but diverse goals and initiatives, period," said Lowe, former chair of the city's equity and inclusion commission. "And that Wauwatosa is not just a safe city, but a welcoming city for all and continues to be."

Societal bias pressures Black women to turn to damaging hairstyles, research shows

Many schools and workplaces enforce grooming policies that request "neat hairstyles." But this rule doesn't always mean the same thing for everyone.

Both Tae Baylor, owner of the Loc Gallery located at 9323 W. Greenfield Ave. in West Allis, and her client, Tyce Batemon, could agree that a common misconception about natural Black hairstyles is that they're unhygienic.

"My dad didn't want me having braids, didn't want me growing my hair out, because he was afraid that I wouldn't get a job," said Batemon, who only just started growing out his natural hair this year. "I think all that stems from a macro perspective and what society has ingrained in itself."

Baylor, a professional loctician, has heard comments "like, if you're a little girl wearing your natural hair out with a 'fro, people call you 'nappy-headed,' or just (say), 'you don't look like you're put together,'" she added.

Black women with natural styles are seen as less professional and competent than Black women straightened hair, research suggests, and some schools outright ban dreadlocks and braids.

"There is a number of private schools that have had in their hair policy that students could not have braids or dreadlocks at their school, which is also damaging to African American youth," Lowe said.

More: Natural hair enthusiasts weigh in on new Illinois CROWN Act: 'I'm excited for my people'

Meanwhile, these styles are protective to Black hair, while straightening or chemically relaxing it can leave long-lasting damage to not only a person's hair and scalp, but can also increase their risk of cancer, studies show.

Locs, for example, is a hairstyle that can preserve the "integrity" of hair, while also maintaining one's confidence by being able to embrace their "natural beauty," said Baylor.

Recently, Baylor has noticed that there's more people interested in embracing their natural hair, she said, but societal pressures remain.

Over the years, many of her clients, especially ones in corporate positions, have told her that they feel they're supposed to look a certain way in order to come across as professional or presentable, Baylor said.

CROWN Act would eliminate "gray area" in discrimination

The reason the CROWN Act still hasn't passed in Wisconsin is due to a lack of understanding, Lowe said.

"Without (a person of color) like me on the common council ... some of these issues just are not on the radar of individuals that it does not affect," Lowe said. "Therefore, I need to be the one to bring these issues up and ensure that they are discussed with such importance, and such importance as any other issue would be brought forward to government affairs."

The Wisconsin Fair Employment Law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees and job applicants because of their race, but protections for certain hairstyles aren't included.

"Passage of the CROWN Act would protect natural hairstyles explicitly, making it easier to state a claim in a case where that is the main or the only evidence of discriminatory intent," said Jennifer Sereno, communications director for the Department of Workforce Development.

The Wisconsin Equal Rights Division has "long taken the position that discrimination based on natural hairstyles may fall under the race discrimination protections of the Wisconsin Fair Employment Law," Sereno added.

Even if the CROWN Act does not pass, the division would accept complaints related to race-based hair discrimination, she said.

"This might require a complainant to take that additional step of connecting the comments or actions related to natural hair to their race, but this should not be a major barrier," Sereno said.

Especially when people in positions of power may not understand the prevalence of hair-based discrimination, it should be explicitly addressed, said Batemon.

"If something's not documented in black and white, there's room for a gray area," Batemon said.

Lowe agreed that the CROWN Act would provide much needed specificity.

"I think it alleviates any gray areas, and again, makes that city, that job, that place, a more welcoming place for all people to thrive," Lowe said.

More: 'Zuri's Crown' is a new Black musical that puts a different spin on the Rapunzel fairy tale

Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wauwatosa officials push Wisconsin lawmakers to adopt CROWN Act