Puerto Rico Government Passes Bill That Bans Discrimination Against Citizens w/ Afros, Curls, Locs, Twists & Other Natural Hairstyles

Puerto Rico Government Passes Bill That Bans Discrimination Against Citizens w/ Afros, Curls, Locs, Twists & Other Natural Hairstyles

The Governor of Puerto Rico has outlawed natural hair discrimination.

Reports state that the Island’s governor recently signed a bill making the practice illegal, following a string of politicians in recent years looking to strengthen rights for minorities in the workplace.

Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi

Governor Pedro Pierluisi made the law official on Wednesday (July 24th). The legislation prohibits discrimination against people wearing Afros, curls, locs, twists, braids and other hairstyles in the ethnically diverse US territory. It’s noted that local community leaders were pushing for the bill to be passed for some time and celebrated its signing. A community facilitator named  Welmo Romero Joseph with the nonprofit Taller Salud, who has been an advocate for the law, stated about the historic moment:

“It’s a victory for generations to come.”

He added that the bill sends a strong message that people “can reach positions of power without having to change your identity.” Though Puerto Rico’s constitution provides certain safeties against discriminatory practices, the Island, much like other US territories, has been called to strengthen said protections in recent years. With 3.2 million residents, Puerto Rico reportedly has more than 1.6 million people who identify as being of two or more races, with nearly 230,000 identifying solely as Black. Many of them claim to have experienced discrimination in the workplace, alleging they’ve been offered jobs conditional on hair cuts among other things.

As we’ve previously covered, at least 24 states, including New York, have adopted the Crown Act; which seeks to prohibit discrimination based on a person’s hair texture or style if it is associated with a particular race or national origin. The bill has proven to have vulnerabilities, however, as a case in Texas recently saw a US Court side with a school being sued for their dress-code policy against dreadlocks of a certain length.

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