“I challenge institutions statewide to examine and address any unfair grooming policies that have disparate impact on black children, women, and men. We cannot turn a blind eye to these incident, and must stand up against discrimination of all kind. Sadly, DeAndre's story is just one of many,"
- State Representative Rhetta Andrews Bowers
Texas Public Radio shares the news that legislators in Texas have gathered together to announce that they will be introducing The Crown Act in the next Texas Legislative Session.
Two state lawmakers plan to file a bill during the next legislative session to ban discrimination against black hair in Texas, after a black Houston-area student said he was singled out by school officials over his dreadlocks.
DeAndre Arnold, 18, gained national attention when he was told the length of his dreadlocks violated Barbers Hill Independent School District's policy. Arnold has said in interviews that he was told to cut his hair or face suspension, and that he wouldn't be allowed to walk in his high school graduation this spring in Mont Belvieu. He's also said that he won't cut his hair because it's a part of his father's Trinidadian heritage.
On Thursday, state Reps. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, D-Garland, and Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, said they want to make it illegal to discriminate against students based on hair typically associated with race.
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