LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- At her barber shop in West Louisville, Carol Clark carries on the family tradition.
"My mother was a beautician," she said Thursday, as she trimmed the beard of a loyal customer at her shop, California Cutz. "Cutting hair is quick, and I still get to use my hands, and I just enjoy it. I enjoy it."
But for Clark, as Black woman, hair can be more than just an expression of self. It can also be a source of discrimination.
"In my earlier years, I was a housing police, and I had cornrows, and I was told I couldn't wear cornrows," she said.
But, in Louisville, change seems to finally coming. Thursday, a Metro Council committee passed the CROWN Act — which stands for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair — in a unanimous, bipartisan vote.
"I hope society realizes that this was a monumental jump," Clark said.
The act makes it illegal in Louisville for employers, housing providers and others to discriminate against someone based on hairstyle when it’s tied to someone’s national origin or ancestry.
Carol Clark, the owner of California Cutz. (WDRB Photo)
It also specifies that the unwanted touching of a person's hair constitutes discrimination.
The ordinance was sponsored by Councilman Jecorey Arthur, D-4, and every other African American on Metro Council; Councilman Bill Hollander, D-9; and Councilman Anthony Piagentini, R-19, the leader of Metro Council Republicans.
"In 2019, Dove found that Black women's hair is 3.4 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional. Over the years, these examples of discrimination have prevented people from employment opportunities, educational opportunities, and so much more," Arthur said Thursday.
Minutes later, the act received six 'yes' votes and zero 'no' votes. One committee member was absent.
As Arthur referenced in his speech before the vote, it was a catchy music video — and the 10 and 12 year old local girls who created it in support of their natural hair — that caught council’s attention and sparked the change.
D’Angelia McMillan, 12, and Renee Robinson, 10, are members of The Real Young Prodigys, a social justice hip hop group from Louisville.
"Black hair — our hair — is unique," said Robinson. "It's cool. It's all of the above. It's just everything all in one."
"Your hair makes you feel confident in yourself," added McMillian. "It just gives you life."
They say the city ordinance is just the start. They plan to keep fighting for the hair styles of others beyond Louisville too and are hoping to talk with Congressman John Yarmuth about a federal bill.
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