FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Today the steps of the State Capitol were filled with supporters of the Crown Act, which would stop discrimination based on hair types and styles at work and in schools. One group of students says they're proud to be a part of this crowd.
Justeena Kemp with the JCTMS student union, says, "It means that there's no stopping us. We are going to pass these laws whether they like it or not."
The ACLU of Kentucky joined several other organizations in the rotunda to educate and raise awareness about the bill which passed through the committee last year. Now, they're working to see it go all the way through.
The executive director and founder of the Miss Black Kentucky USA Scholarship Pageant, Dr. Ashely Anderson, says this act is an opportunity to re-evaluate limited ideas of beauty.
She says, "You know, I think it's really unfortunate that we even have to have something like the Crown Act to have the world embrace everyone for who they are, the way they look, the way that God made them. So, it's very, very empowering for Black women especially."
Behind the crown of the current Miss Black Kentucky USA, Ariel Thompson, is a story about a painful experience she had sharing her natural hair.
Thompson shares, "I walked into work, and I saw a packet on my desk with a highlighted portion about cleanliness and neatness of your hair and wardrobe not being an option for the workplace and it was mandatory. And I asked my coworkers, 'well did anybody else get this?' and they all said no. And that's when I realized what was happening and it really hurt me because that was the first time, I decided to wear my natural hair in that setting."
She explains that when small and large voices come together, that's when change happens. She says it's important for people to feel comfortable being who they are.
Thompson says, "It takes a lot of courage to step into your own self, as a Black woman and as a Black person in these corporate spaces, deciding to wear your natural hair and be true to yourself and you don’t always know how it's going to be perceived. But I always say that being true to yourself is more important than conforming -- because even if people don’t agree the first time around, then the longer you decide to be yourself you’ll see that change eventually comes." Now, bill sponsors like Representative George Brown say they'll continue the work to get this bill through.
