Does Florida Have a CROWN Act?
Have you recently faced discrimination in the job application process or in your current place of employment because of your decision to wear a natural or protective hairstyle? Black women in Florida and throughout the country have historically been subject to this form of discrimination, and both federal and state lawmakers across the country have worked to make clear that this type of discrimination constitutes unlawful discrimination on the basis of race. You may already know about federal attempts to pass the CROWN Act, or the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act. That law, which came before both houses of Congress in 2022, is designed to “prohibit race-based hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists, or bantu knots.”
Recognizing the importance of this type of legal protection against discrimination, a number of states have passed state-specific versions of the CROWN Act, making it specifically unlawful for an existing or potential employer to engage in race-based hair discrimination. However, Florida has not yet enacted a CROWN Act. What does this mean for job applicants or employees who have experienced race-based hair discrimination? Our Palm Beach Gardens employment discrimination attorneys can provide you with more information.
Protections Against Discrimination on the Basis of Race in Florida
Although Florida does not specifically have a CROWN Act, there are existing federal and state laws that protect employees against discrimination on the basis of race and that may apply to your case.
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers cannot discriminate against any job applicant or employee on the basis of race in the hiring process or in any employment context. Similarly, the Florida Civil Rights Act (FCRA) prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race. Both laws apply to employers with 15 or more employees. With assistance from an employment discrimination attorney, you can work to show that any type of race-based hair discrimination you experienced is a form of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race under state or federal law.
How Race-Based Hair Discrimination Occurs
How can you be certain if an employer engaged in race-based hair discrimination? The best way to know if you have a case is to speak with a lawyer, but the following are common ways in which unlawful race-based hair discrimination may occur in employment contexts:
- Grooming policies that ban particular hairstyles;
- Evaluations of employees that remark on their lack of a “professional” appearance in relation to wearing a natural or protective hairstyle; or
- Requiring employees to wear a particular hairstyle (or to avoid a particular nature or protective hairstyle) as part of a workplace dress code.
Contact Our Palm Beach Gardens Race and National Origin Discrimination Attorneys for Help with Your Claim
Were you discriminated against at your Florida workplace in a manner that involved adverse treatment related to your hairstyle? Although Florida does not have a state-specific CROWN Act as we discussed above, existing federal law may apply specifically to your case, and you also may have protections under the Florida Civil Rights Act. It is critical to discuss the details of your case with one of the experienced Palm Beach Gardens race and national origin discrimination lawyers at Sconzo Law Office as soon as possible. Contact our firm today to find out more about filing a race discrimination claim in South Florida.
Sources:
thecrownact.com/about
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0760/0760PARTIContentsIndex.html