“The CROWN movement began in 2019 as a collaboration between the soap maker Dove and the National Urban League, Color Of Change and Western Center on Law and Poverty.”
Black Women Hail New Law Banning Discrimination Against Natural Hair
“The CROWN Act’s biggest proponents, aside from its sponsors and allies in the House and Senate, is the CROWN Coalition, a group of businesses and organizations that include Dove, National Urban League, Color of Change, and Western Center on Law & Poverty.”
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Media owners own too much of our culture. We need change.
In 2019, alongside our partners at Dove, the National Urban League, and Color of Change, Western Center became a founding member of the CROWN coalition to stop discrimination based on hair – specifically, to protect Black people’s right to wear their hair naturally. Since the CROWN Act passed in California, similar measures have passed across the country, and conversations about discrimination and representation have spread like wildfire. Every day people share examples of overcoming discrimination and taking pride in representation – embracing their true, whole selves. Putting an end to race-based discrimination is one step in the fight for equity in workplaces, schools, and on our screens, and representation is another. There is also a deeper well to look to as we cleanse the groundwater of this country’s white supremacy – looking at who owns what.
Diversity in media is about more than representation on screen – it’s also about who has the power to decide what content is put in front of audiences and who gets to influence culture. Media is culture, and culture shows our values. While we’ve seen a push for more diversity and representation on screen, not enough has been done to diversify media ownership.
Like other highly monopolized industries, mergers and acquisitions between media companies are frequent. As it stands, there are six major media companies and five major tech companies dominating the media landscape, meaning a relatively small number of people control film production, television, news, and other media. Through consolidations, large companies continue to set the tone for media discourse, ethics, and actions over smaller entities that try to compete or are eventually absorbed. That is why in 2022 so many people still are not adequately seen, heard, or represented in our content.
Everyone has a story, but when the same kind of stories with the same kind of characters continue to be uplifted over others, it’s a signal to the culture about who is important and relatable. But it is a faulty signal – the small, homogenous group of media owners who make decisions about “what audiences want to see” have too limited a perspective to really know. Even when project (Black Panther) after project (anything created by Shonda Rhimes) after project (Insecure) proves old business models wrong, the same people continue to hold the power to greenlight or cancel projects, and storytelling is stifled.
Ten years ago, writer and producer Issa Rae was told she needed a white character for her projects to be successful and for audiences to care. That sentiment, which still exists, is a product of the explicitly racist history of American media, founded by the same white supremacy as the rest of the country. But ever the trailblazer, Issa expanded the network of creators in Hollywood through her show, and continues to do so – an example of Toni Morrison’s wisdom: “If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”
Issa stands on the shoulders of trailblazing creator/ owners like Oprah Winfrey, Ava Duvernay, Reese Witherspoon, and Tyler Perry, all of whom create countless opportunities for talented people from diverse backgrounds. But for every new model for content production and distribution, there is a legacy media brand holding back bourgeoning creators. And while companies like Netflix offer a welcome disruption for media production and distribution, when we look at ownership, it is clear there’s a long way to go.
It’s not just the media industry that needs a shift in ownership, in fact, the idea of ownership anywhere in the U.S. is complicated by its history of slavery. The racial dynamics of ownership are particularly stark in sports, where discussions about the need for change happen, but ownership largely stays the same. Of course, sports connect right back to media, and a small group of people unwilling to give up profitable reins to change racist systems.
There is a silver lining – the beautiful thing about culture is that it can be shaped into anything we want, and in that way, creators have the freedom to construct whatever narratives they want. However, as things stand, most don’t have the backing to reach a mass audience, so they’re stuck hoping someone with power will “take a chance” and see the value in their stories.
The media industry is notoriously hard to break into and extremely susceptible to “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” But media consumers should be able to find relatable content providing a true reflection of what modern society looks like. With that goal in mind, the evolution of the media landscape must include more open doors for diversity in media ownership so more diverse voices are supported, greenlit, and shared.
Bill seeks to prevent hairstyle discrimination in Utah
“The effort represents a collaboration between Dove, the National Urban League, Color of Change, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty.”
Dove with Tabitha Brown Launches Campaign Against Hair Discrimination
“The CROWN Coalition was initially formed by Dove, the National Urban League, Color of Change and the Western Center on Law & Poverty. The 2019 CROWN research examined the likelihood for Black women to change their hair to be “appropriate” for the office. In the same year, CROWN Act legislation was created prohibiting public schools and employers from discriminating against Black hairstyles. In Dove’s latest research, they found Black girls are most susceptible to hair discrimination as early as five years old.”
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Oregon’s new CROWN Act explicitly prohibits raced-based hair discrimination
“A total of 14 states have passed the CROWN Act or legislation inspired by it, according to the CROWN Coalition, a group of national organizations founded by Dove, National Urban League, Color of Change and the Western Center on Law & Poverty. ”
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Banning Hair Discrimination Emerges as Racial Justice Issue
“The campaign to pass the CROWN Act in every state and Congress began in 2019, when Dove, which makes shampoo and other personal care products, and advocacy groups the National Urban League, Color of Change and the Western Center on Law and Poverty co-founded a coalition to press for the hair anti-discrimination law. The law clarifies that Black people should be allowed to wear their hair as it grows naturally and not be forced to use chemicals to relax or straighten it.”
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Beyond Aesthetic: What Haircare Brands Must Remember When Speaking to the Black Community
“The Crown Act is led by the Crown Coalition founded by Dove, the National Urban League, Color of Change and the Western Center on Law & Poverty. As of July 2, 2021, the Crown Act is law in 13 U.S. states, hopefully a beginning of the end of hair discrimination nationwide.”
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‘Black hair is professional’: Woman proudly rocks natural hair for new headshot
“She called out the important work that’s being done by Dove, National Urban League, Color of Change and Western Center on Law & Poverty.”
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The Dove Self-Esteem Project Launches NEW Educational Toolkit, “My Hair, My CROWN,” to Boost Confidence in Kids with Curls, Coils, Waves & Protective Styles
“The CROWN Coalition is a national alliance founded by Dove, National Urban League, Color Of Change and Western Center on Law & Poverty, to end race-based hair discrimination in America. The Coalition, now consisting of more than 80 supporting organizations, is the founder of the CROWN Act movement and was the official sponsor of the inaugural CROWN Act legislation in California in 2019.”
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