Louisiana: The CROWN Act (HB632)
Adopted: June 2022 Bill Number: HB632 Governor: John Bel Edwards Status: Enacted
Louisiana enacted its CROWN Act in June 2022 when Governor John Bel Edwards signed HB632. The legislation was particularly significant given Louisiana’s large African American population, deep cultural traditions around hair, and the state’s unique legal tradition rooted in French civil law.
Key Provisions
Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law amendment. HB632 amends the state’s employment discrimination framework to include hair texture and protective hairstyles as characteristics protected from discrimination.
Employment focus. The legislation primarily covers employment-related decisions, prohibiting employers from discriminating in hiring, promotion, compensation, or termination based on natural hair.
Enforcement mechanisms. Individuals experiencing hair discrimination in employment may seek remedies through Louisiana’s existing anti-discrimination enforcement pathways.
Louisiana Context
Louisiana’s adoption carried special significance. With approximately 1.5 million Black residents, representing roughly one-third of the state’s population, Louisiana has one of the highest proportions of Black residents of any state. New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport are home to vibrant African American communities with deep cultural connections to hair traditions.
Louisiana’s unique cultural landscape, shaped by African, Caribbean, French, and Creole influences, gives hair practices particular cultural resonance. Braids, locs, and other protective styles carry generations of cultural meaning. Discrimination against these styles strikes at cultural identity in ways that are deeply personal and historically rooted.
The state’s French civil law tradition also creates an interesting parallel with European legal frameworks. As CROWN analyses France’s Proposition de loi Serva and the broader European legislative landscape, Louisiana’s experience of combining hair discrimination protections with a civil law tradition offers relevant precedent.
For the full CROWN Act movement context, see the timeline. For European legislative analysis, see Lessons from the CROWN Act for Europe.
For detailed legal analysis of Louisiana’s CROWN Act provisions, contact contact@crown.ngo.