INDIANAPOLIS — Hair discrimination is something many often face in both the workplace and their daily life.
According to CrownAct.com, 23 states across the country have banned discrimination based on hair textures or protective styles. Now, Indiana lawmakers, both in the House and Senate, are trying to do the same.
"Just don't tell me what to do with my hair,” State Rep. Vanessa Summers (D- Indianapolis) said.
That’s a message she has been trying to send for years.
Summers is the author House Bill 1124, which would prohibit discrimination based on traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles.
It’s a bill she has filed before but is hopeful this year it will get some movement.
"If you want to wear your hair natural and don't want to put any chemicals in it, then you should be able to. You should wear your hair in any style that you want,” Rep. Summers said.
Tempest Burks-Golden is a hairstylist that specializes in working with ethnic hair types. She says sometimes hairstyles can prevent certain people from job opportunities.
"If you don't look the way they feel you need to look, especially in the corporate world, then you don't get certain opportunities,” Burks-Golden said. “So, I do believe it stops a lot of opportunities for people."
A similar bill with almost identical language has also been filed in the Senate. People like Tempest think a law like this is long overdue.
"I think it's time for us to stand up and speak out, and I think it's time for us to be heard,” Burks-Golden said.
Both the House and Senate version of these bills have been assigned to the Education Committee in their respective chamber.
