Full Text of HR0692 101st General Assembly
HR0692 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR0692 | | LRB101 16781 MST 66174 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The State of California became the first state in | 3 | | the nation to ban discrimination
against Black students and | 4 | | employees over their natural hairstyles with the enactment of | 5 | | the
Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair | 6 | | (CROWN) Act; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The history of our nation is riddled with laws and | 8 | | societal norms that equated
"blackness" with certain physical | 9 | | traits; for example, dark skin and kinky or curly hair could be | 10 | | seen as a
badge of inferiority, sometimes subject to separate | 11 | | and unequal treatment; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, This idea also permeated societal understanding | 13 | | of professionalism and is closely
linked to European features | 14 | | and mannerisms, which penalizes those who do not naturally fall
| 15 | | into Eurocentric norms; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, These norms require many minorities to alter their | 17 | | appearances, sometimes
drastically and permanently, in order | 18 | | to be deemed professional in schools and workplaces; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Despite the great strides in American society, | 20 | | hair remains a rampant source of
racial discrimination with | 21 | | serious economic and health consequences, especially for Black |
| | | HR0692 | - 2 - | LRB101 16781 MST 66174 r |
|
| 1 | | individuals; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, School and workplace dress code and grooming | 3 | | policies that prohibit natural hair,
including afros, braids, | 4 | | twists, and locks, have a disparate impact on Black | 5 | | individuals; these
policies are more likely to deter Black | 6 | | applicants and disproportionately burden or punish
Black | 7 | | students and employees more than any other group; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Federal courts have recognized that Title VII of | 9 | | the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits
discrimination based on | 10 | | race and therefore protects against discrimination against | 11 | | afros; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, The courts do not understand that afros are not | 13 | | the only natural presentation of
Black hair; Black hair can | 14 | | also be naturally presented in braids, twists, and locks; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, In a society in which hair has historically been | 16 | | one of many determining factors
in how a person's race is | 17 | | perceived and whether they were a second-class citizen, hair | 18 | | today remains a proxy for
race; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Exclusion from academic spaces and workplaces | 20 | | because of a Black person's hair
or other features leads to | 21 | | reduced access to educational and economic opportunities and
|
| | | HR0692 | - 3 - | LRB101 16781 MST 66174 r |
|
| 1 | | continues to exacerbate the achievement and wealth gaps between | 2 | | African Americans and
other racial and ethnic groups; | 3 | | therefore, be it
| 4 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 5 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 6 | | we recognize that continuing to enforce a Eurocentric image of | 7 | | professionalism
disparately impacts Black individuals and | 8 | | excludes them from some schools and workplaces in
direct | 9 | | opposition to the United States' Constitutional values of | 10 | | equity and opportunity for all and is a
form of racial | 11 | | discrimination; and be it further | 12 | | RESOLVED, That we encourage state policymakers to | 13 | | introduce legislation that prohibits discrimination against | 14 | | traits historically
associated with race, including, but not | 15 | | limited to, natural hair textures and protective
hairstyles; | 16 | | and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to | 18 | | the President of
the United States, the Vice President of the | 19 | | United States, members of the United States House
of | 20 | | Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal | 21 | | and state government
officials and agencies as appropriate.
|
|