PA Governor Josh Shapiro Signs CROWN Act Outlawing Hair Discrimination Amidst State Crises

Pennsylvania families are watching their electricity bills spike by 6% this December, with another 15% increase looming in the new year. Hospitals are shuttering across the commonwealth, and roads resemble obstacle courses more than transportation routes.

Yet Governor Josh Shapiro spent Tuesday afternoon at a West Philadelphia hair salon, surrounded by cameras and activists, signing legislation that addresses what Democrats apparently consider the crisis of our time.

The emergency and the existential threat to Pennsylvania’s future…? Hair discrimination. Yes, really.

While PECO energy customers brace for crushing rate hikes and rural communities lose their last remaining hospitals, Governor Shapiro signed the CROWN Act—Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair—into law, making it illegal to discriminate against someone based on their hairstyle.

The law specifically protects “locs, braids, twists, coils, Bantu knots, afros, and extensions,” treating any workplace grooming standard that affects these styles as racial discrimination punishable under state law.

Pennsylvania is now saved....