Designates July 3 of each year as "CROWN Act Day" in NJ.

SJR111

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

No. 111

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 12, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Designates July 3 of each year as �CROWN Act Day� in
NJ.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

A Joint
Resolution
designating July 3 of each year
as �CROWN Act Day� in New Jersey.

Whereas,
The CROWN (Create a
Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act addresses unfair grooming
policies that have a disparate impact on African-American women, men, and
children; and

Whereas,
The CROWN Act prohibits
racial discrimination against an individual based on hair, texture, or
protective styles worn in the workplace or in educational settings; and

Whereas,
The New Jersey Legislature
passed the CROWN Act on December 16, 2019, and Governor Murphy signed it into
law on December 19, 2019, making New Jersey the third state to pass the
legislation after California and New York; and

Whereas,
Designating July 3rd of
every year CROWN Act Day in New Jersey will commemorate the passage of the
impactful CROWN Act legislation and will shine a light on its importance; and

Whereas,
African-American women are
80 percent more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms at
work; and

Whereas,
African-American women are
1.5 times more likely to have reported being sent home or know of an African-American
woman who has been sent home from the workplace because of her hair; and

Whereas,
African-American women�s
hair is 3.4 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional; and

Whereas,
African-American women are
30 percent more likely to be made aware of a formal workplace appearance
policy; and

Whereas,
86 percent of African-American
teens who experience discrimination state they have experienced discrimination
based on their hair by the age of 12; and

Whereas,
Hair discrimination
furthers the many barriers that African-American women, men, and children deal
with on a regular basis, by limiting opportunities in the workplace and in
educational settings; and

Whereas,
These experiences are all
too common for African-American individuals, and although the CROWN Act passed
in 2019 is a step in the right direction, more awareness needs to be brought to
the issue of hair discrimination; now, therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� July 3 of each year is
designated as �CROWN Act Day� in the State of New Jersey.

���� 2.� The Governor is requested
to annually issue a proclamation calling upon the public officials and citizens
of this State to observe �CROWN Act Day� with appropriate activities and
programs.

���� 3.� This joint resolution
shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This joint resolution
designates July 3 of each year as �CROWN Act Day� in the State of New Jersey in
recognition of the passage of the CROWN Act in New Jersey.� July 3 has been
designated National Crown Day by the CROWN Coalition to commemorate California
signing the CROWN Act into law, being the first state to do so.

���� African-American women, men,
and children regularly deal with discrimination in the workplace and in
educational settings due to their hair.� Hair textures and styles have been the
focus of bias and discrimination, especially in professional settings, for too
long.�

���� A study completed in 2019 by
the JOY Collective found data that is alarming in the 21st century.�
African-American women are 80 percent more likely to change their natural hair
to meet social norms and fit in at work.� African-American women are 1.5 times
more likely to have been sent home or know of an African-American woman who has
been sent home from work because of her hair.� African-American women�s hair is
3.4 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional.� Finally,
African-American women are 30 percent more likely to be made aware of a formal
workplace appearance policy.�

���� African-American men and
children are not immune to the effects of the statistics found in the 2019
study.� In 2018, an incident occurred with an African-American 16-year old boy
named Andrew Johnson, spurring the passage of the CROWN Act in this State.� He
was denied from competing in a wrestling match at his New Jersey high school
unless he cut his dreadlocks.� A 2021 study by the JOY Collective found that 86
percent of African-American teens who experience discrimination state they have
experienced discrimination based on their hair by the age of 12.�
African-American individuals face many forms of discrimination in the workplace
and in educational settings and it is time that more attention be brought to
the issue of hair discrimination.� Designating July 3 as �CROWN Act Day� will
highlight the 2019 passage of the CROWN Act in New Jersey and will create an
annual opportunity for New Jerseyans to learn about the issue of hair
discrimination.