Kansas City Passes CROWN ACT

What happened?
On October 1, 2020, the Kansas City, City Council has passed Ordinance No. 200837, also known as the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act.

What are the details?
The CROWN Act modifies the definition of “Race” to include “traits historically associated with race including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.” This will protect employees with certain hairstyles from harassment and discrimination related to their hair.

Ordinance No. 200837 can be found here.

An article discussing this ordinance can be found here.

What do employers need to do?
Kansas City employers should review and update their workplace policies to reflect this new protected characteristic.