Kerry Washington, Zoe Kravitz, Rosario Dawson, SAG-AFTRA and More Urge Congress to Pass CROWN Act

Kerry Washington, Zoë Kravitz, Rosario Dawson, Don Cheadle and Niecy Nash-Betts had been among the many 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members who urged Congress to cross the CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based mostly on hair fashion and texture.

In a strongly worded letter despatched to the U.S. Senate, SAG-AFTRA inspired Congress to cross the invoice, as it’s a vital step to creating all workplaces secure for individuals of shade, and it’s per the Guild’s efforts to advance fairness and inclusion within the media and leisure business.

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The CROWN Act stands for Making a Respectful and Open World for Pure Hair.

“The CROWN Act is a large step in ending discrimination based mostly on hair in public training and work areas,” mentioned SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “Folks ought to be happy to fashion their hair how they really feel most snug with out the specter of prejudice and unequal remedy. The CROWN Act will defend and positively impression the lives of many Individuals at college and work, however there may be nonetheless extra work to be executed to make sure personal establishments undertake the protections the CROWN Act gives. We must always rejoice all hair types NOT discriminate!”

Members asserted within the letter that “discrimination based mostly on hair fashion or texture is a harmful follow that has alienated and prompted irreparable hurt to Black Individuals.”

The actor’s union has been working towards attaining hair and make-up fairness within the office.

The assertion of assist was really useful by the SAG-AFTRA Hair and Make-up Fairness Work Group, chaired by Jason George, Yvette Nicole Brown, Tiffany Yvonne Cox, Michelle Hurd, Ezra Knight, Linda Powell and Sheryl Lee Ralph.

“Whenever you work in an business the place you might be employed — or not employed — largely on the way you look, you develop into conscious about how damaging it may be to discriminate towards somebody based mostly on one thing as extraneous as how they put on their hair,” mentioned George. “We’ve made strides in our personal business, however we’ve got our union backing us up and never everybody has that. Till our nation’s leaders say, in no unsure phrases, that it isn’t acceptable to discriminate towards somebody based mostly on their hair, personal employers and establishments will proceed to skirt the difficulty with ease. The CROWN Act units a brand new customary of fairness that makes it tougher to justify dangerous and outdated practices.”

Sen. Cory Booker first launched the CROWN Act within the Home, which handed the invoice in March with a 235 to 189 vote. The CROWN Act is awaiting passage within the Senate to then head to President Joe Biden’s desk.

The total letter and listing of signatories is beneath.

SAG-AFTRA SUPPORTS THE CROWN ACT

The Display screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Tv and Radio Artists, the world’s largest and strongest leisure union, calls on america Senate to cross S.188, the CROWN Act, to finish race-based hair discrimination on the federal stage.

Discrimination based mostly on hair fashion or texture is a harmful follow that has alienated and prompted irreparable hurt to Black Individuals.

Implicit biases towards Black employees and college students based mostly on their hair texture, color and style are nonetheless the norm in federal workplaces and public training. Black college students are disciplined at a price 4 occasions larger than every other racial or ethnic group, and analysis has discovered that 70% of all suspension disciplines are discretionary, many stemming from costume code violations that embrace hairstyles. As well as, the biased lens that makes curly hair or locs unprofessional – regardless of the actual fact it has nothing to do with job efficiency – far too usually holds Black individuals again from promotions and job alternatives.

It’s time that federal companies and establishments take extra steps to make sure the truthful and equal remedy of all residents they make use of or who depend on their companies, and this important laws places all employers on discover {that a} panorama wherein Individuals might be discriminated towards based mostly on their pure bodily look has by no means been simply and is now not tenable.

We the undersigned SAG-AFTRA members, and SAG-AFTRA, wholeheartedly endorse the CROWN Act to place an finish to race-based hair discrimination within the office as soon as and for all. We urge you to take motion and cross this laws.

Thanks.

Fran Drescher
SAG-AFTRA President

Duncan Crabtree-Eire
SAG-AFTRA Nationwide Govt Director

Laz Alonso
Tichina Arnold
Malcolm Barrett
Angela Bassett
Shari Belafonte
Skyh Alvester Black
Marsha Stephanie Blake
Kim Brockington
Yvette Nicole Brown
L. Scott Caldwell
Don Cheadle
Karen Chilton
Holly Chou
Carrie Coon
Justin Cornwell
Tiffany Yvonne Cox
Eisa Davis
William Stanford Davis
Rosario Dawson
Ariana DeBose
Teniece Divya Johnson
Aunjanue Ellis
Ms. Lisa M. Fischer
Jason George
Tiffany Haddish
Iyana Halley
Taraji P. Henson
Nichelle Hines
Jennifer Hudson
Michelle Hurd
Dominique Jackson
Anne-Marie Johnson
Leslie Jones
Ezra Knight
Zoë Kravitz
Marvin LaViolette
Téa Leoni
Nia Lengthy
Andrea Lyman
Eva Marcille
Marsai Martin
Audra McDonald
S. Epatha Merkerson
Mike Merrill
Simone Missick
Michelle Monaghan
Kenya Moore
Tia Mowry
Niecy Nash-Betts
Ruth Negga
Debra Nelson
Yvonne Orji
Anna Paquin
Janice Pendarvis
Alison Capsule
Danielle Pinnock
Linda Powell
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Wendy Robinson
Yolonda Ross
Vanessa Rubio
Jeri Ryan
Yara Shahidi
Alexandra Shipp
Gabourey Sidibe
Leslie Silva
KJ Smith
Connie Stevens
Kim Sykes
Robin Thede
Gina Torres
Towanda Underdue
Courtney B. Vance
Lisa Ann Walter
Samantha Marie Ware
Martha Wash
Kerry Washington
Sharon Washington
Sigourney Weaver
Al-Teron Williams
John Wooten
Constance Wu

SAG-AFTRA Nationwide Board

Fran Drescher, President
Joely Fisher, Secretary-Treasurer
Ben Whitehair, Govt Vice President
Michelle Hurd, Vice President, Los Angeles
Ezra Knight, Vice President, New York
Michele Proude, Vice President, Mid-Sized Locals
Suzanne Burkhead, Vice President, Small Locals
William Charlton, Vice President, Actors/Performers
Janice Pendarvis, Vice President, Recording Artists/Singers

Don Ahles
Sean Astin
Shari Belafonte
Randal Berger
Nitasha Bhambree
Mitchell Bobrow
Rodger Model
Yvette Nicole Brown
Josh Charles
Henry Ian Cusick
Jessica Day
Nancy Duerr
Abby Dylan
Debbie Evans
Frances Fisher
Nancy Flanagan
Ilyssa Fradin
Hector Garcia
Brad Garrett
Michael Gaston
Margie Ghigo
Traci Godfrey
Stephen McKinley Henderson
David Jolliffe
Phoebe Jonas
Michael Kraycik
Elaine LeGaro
Jodi Lengthy
Andrea Lyman
Mary McDonald-Lewis
Mel MacKaron
Camryn Manheim
Joseph Melendez
Matthew Modine
Invoice Mootos
Dan Navarro
Debra Nelson
Rosie O’Donnell
Ron Ostrow
Jay Potter
Linda Powell
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Anthony Rapp
Patricia Richardson
Courtney Rioux
Rob Schneider
Jeff Spurgeon
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Peter Tocco
Towanda Underdue
Lisa Ann Walter
Pamela Weaver
Olga Wilhelmine
Liz Zazzi