The CROWN Act—what Tennessee employers need to know

Recently, Tennessee became one of more than a dozen states and cities to pass its own version of the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. This article addresses what Tennessee employers need to know about the new workplace law.

Brief history of the CROWN Act

Championed as bringing equity and inclusion to African Americans, versions of the CROWN Act prohibit discrimination based on hair texture. Versions of the CROWN Act may also prohibit discrimination based on hairstyle. These laws may specifically include styles such as afros, locs, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and others that serve as a connection to African American culture, religion, or history.

California became the first state to introduce the CROWN Act in July 2019, and, in the intervening years, several states and cities around the country have followed suit. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a federal version of the CROWN Act in March 2022, but that bill awaits approvals from the Senate before it can become a federal law.

Tennessee CROWN Act

The Tennessee version of the CROWN Act bans employers from adopting policies that prohibit employees from wearing their hair in braids, locs, twists, or other styles that are part of the cultural identification of the employee’s ethnic group or a physical characteristic of their ethnic group.

Employees can file complaints for violations with Tennessee’s Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development.