Vachel Hudson, housing and wealth development manager at Urban League Minneapolis

Story by David Pierini, Editor | Photos by Itraeu Compton

Vachel Hudson was selling insurance when colleagues told him he’d “look so much nicer, so much cleaner” if he cut his hair.

Hudson, wanting to be successful, cut the locs he wore proudly for most of his life.

“I thought it was the way I needed to present to succeed,” said Hudson, now president of the Urban League’s young professionals in Minneapolis. “I kind of lost my authenticity. I grew my hair out my entire life. My mom, my sister have long beautiful hair... So to get rid of it took away so much confidence, my internal super powers.”

A bill authored by Democratic Rep. Esther Agbaje, whose 59B district includes half of North Minneapolis, would protect natural hair styles and textures against discrimination in the workplace and schools. The CROWN Act would include hair as part of the definition of race in the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

Latifah Moss, patient services supervisor

Hudson was among a handful of professionals who testified in front of the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee on Feb. 3. The committee voted 15-2 to send the bill to the full House for a vote, which is expected this afternoon.

CROWN, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, is a nationwide movement started in 2019 by Dove soap, the National Urban League, Color of Change, and the Western Center on Law & Poverty.

The CROWN Act is now law in 13 states and protects natural hair texture and styles inherent to Black identity, including locs, twists, braids and bantu knots to name a few.

“Across the country and in the state of Minnesota, we have had instances of people experiencing discrimination because of how their hair grows naturally from the head,” Agbaje said. “I have felt the pressure to straighten myself because of the fear of losing a job, or not being able to be taken seriously.”

“I’m glad to be carrying this bill to ensure that people have the freedom to show up as they are.”

According to a 2019 study by the CROWN coalition, Black women are more likely to change or cover their hair to meet societal norms and workplace expectations. Women interviewed for the study said they were sent home or know a Black woman sent home from the workplace because of her hair.

Black men, like Hudson, and youth in school also report feeling pressure to conform to white standards of acceptable and professional appearance. In 2018, a Black high school wrestler in New Jersey was forced by a referee to shave his locs or forfeit the match. A video of the wrestler getting his hair cut on the sidelines went viral.

Adding hair to the definition of race in the Human Rights Act doesn’t just outlaw blatant discrimination based on hair. It also offers Black men and women peace of mind.

“This is one of those bills that makes a material difference in people's lives,” Agbaje said. “You won’t have to worry about (Eurocentric) standards of beauty. To not have that take up so much mental space... Think about that.”

In addition to honoring Black identity, many natural hairstyles offer protection from breakage, cover from the sun and warmth in the winter, Hudson said.

For Hudson, he feels it's important for young men and women to see natural hair in professions other than sports and entertainment.

“In my community, when someone with dreads is talking about finance, talking about homeownership, fixing your budget and saving for emergencies, that’s something they don’t always see,” Hudson said. “I think it’s important, especially now, for young men to see themselves in someone like us.”

Jiccara N. Hollman, a Northside entrepreneur and captain with the Air National Guard, said she often feels like her hairstyle is on the edge of what is authorized or seen as professional. When she first entered the military 10 years ago, she said there were limited styles available for women, including short cuts or hair pulled up into a bun off the collar.

Hollman recalls she and other members' hair within these standards sometimes would experience breakage from pulling it back into a tight bun. The skin around her hairline would also get irritated. Hollman started her career with the Army National Guard, which began allowing locs with dress and appearance regulations shortly after she joined. She later transferred to the Air Force, where she was told hair standards were at the discretion of her commanding officer.

“I actually had to ask permission to wear my hair the way I wanted and he never responded,” Hollman said. “ sent him articles, I sent him pictures of what my hair might look like and never got a response. A non-answer can be just as heavy as rejection.”

Jiccarra Hollman, captain in the Air National Guard and founder of News on Purpose

Hollman said once AirForce regulations were redrafted allowing for locs to be worn in uniform, she immediately scheduled an appointment to style her hair in the manner she loves.

The new rules did not stop white colleagues from asking whether her hair was authorized. Some wondered aloud if her kevlar helmet would fit.

“I enter a room with the understanding that to the others, I am not their ideal image of leadership and polished,” said said. “But I show up and I walk with humility and grace.”

“Sometimes you have to be two, five, 10, 20 steps ahead of whatever decisions we make, especially when we are in positions of power and leadership.”

Some regulations remain. Hair coloring has to be natural, but as Holloman said, if she chooses to dye her blond or honey brown, a higher-ranking officer may say blond isn’t natural for her.

Hollman remembers the first time she saw a woman of color in leadership wearing locs in uniform. She seemed happy, embracing herself while selflessly serving, Hollman said.

“I idolized that. I remember thinking this would never fly with my unit in Minnesota. Today, I feel close to that feeling I thought she felt. To walk in my crown... This CROWN Act brings that feeling.”

Contributing photographer Itraeu Compton is a portrait, wedding and fashion photographer in Minneapolis. You can follow his work on Instagram at ic.photos.mn

A CROWN Act would free Black hair from discrimination