Legislating Black Bodies: Anti-Lynching Act Passed — Crown Act Finally Passes
67 years after Emmett Till’s death anti-lynching passes; Crown Act called “bad hair bill” finally passed
Update: The Crown Act passed in March 2022
On the last day of Black History Month — the Anti-Lynching Act finally passed 67 years after Emmett Till’s brutal and senseless murder. Yet, the Crown Act didn’t. Why?
“Representative Lauren Boebert, Republican of Colorado, reading aloud a proxy vote, derisively referred to the legislation as the “bad hair bill.” New York Times
This isn’t a shock considering, “Three Republicans — Representatives Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Chip Roy of Texas — opposed the anti-lynching bill.” and the majority of the Republicans dismissed the Crown Act.” According to the New York Times:
“Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, called it “unnecessary and duplicative,” given existing laws against discrimination.
Representative Lauren Boebert, Republican of Colorado, reading aloud a proxy vote, derisively referred to the legislation as the “bad hair bill.”
So in 2022, it’s finally a hate crime to lynch us — but it’s ok to leave our heads unprotected. That’s what happened when Republicans voted no to The Crown Act or what Lauren Boebert called the “bad hair bill.” As an African American woman, mother, and citizen I found her comment to be dismissive, hurtful, and racist.
When Lauren Boebert and other Republicans mock the Crown Act they dismiss the experiences of Black people and ignore the urgent importance and necessity of this bill. Have they listened to any of their Black constituents who’ve experienced hair discrimination for wearing their hair in its natural state or styles like braids, locs, and twists?
Black bodies shouldn’t be legislated, but if they insist, they should protect our hair, too. #ProtectOurCrownActNow
Are Republicans aware of the health risks and financial burden Black women and…
