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<br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
<br /> RESOLUTION OF AMENDMENT
<br /> RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF ADOPTION OF THE CROWN ACT OR OTHER
<br /> LEGISLATION PROHIBITING RACE - BASED HAIR DISCRIMINATION IN ORANGE
<br /> COUNTY AND THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
<br /> WHEREAS , Orange County is a community that prides itself on being composed of people who
<br /> value diversity of backgrounds , cultures , beliefs , traditions and experiences , and i
<br /> WHEREAS , appreciation for diversity in all forms strengthens a community, fosters a welcoming
<br /> environment, and is critical to a thriving, successful community; and
<br /> WHEREAS , discrimination based upon natural hair texture and styles remains a source of racial
<br /> bias , impacting educational and employment opportunities for people of color, particularly women
<br /> and men of Black African descent; and
<br /> WHEREAS , Orange County has developed a locally applicable non- discrimination ordinance that
<br /> will prohibit discrimination in employment, public accommodations , and fair housing access against
<br /> individuals who wear "protected hairstyles , " which is defined in the pending ordinance as any
<br /> hairstyle , hair type, or hair texture historically associated with race such as , but not limited to , braids ,
<br /> locks , twists , tight coils or curls , cornrows , Bantu knots , and afros " ; and
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<br /> WHEREAS , current state and federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity
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<br /> in employment, public accommodations , housing and schools , yet offers no protection to individuals
<br /> with specific hair styles or textures related to race or ethnicity ; and
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<br /> WHEREAS , a national movement to address the effects of long-term, insidious race discrimination
<br /> in reaction to hairstyles and textures commonly associated with people of Black African descent is
<br /> being spearheaded by the CROWN Coalition, a national alliance founded by Dove , the National . ,
<br /> Urban League , Color of Change, and the Western Center on Law & Poverty; and
<br /> WHEREAS , with the assistance of the Coalition, a wave of legislation has been enacted across the
<br /> United States over the past twenty months , both at the federal and state level, which specifically
<br /> adds race -based hair discrimination to the legal definition of race discrimination; and
<br /> WHEREAS , beginning in California in July 2019 , The CROWN Act (" Creating a Respectful and
<br /> Open Workplace for Natural Hair") now has been adopted in seven states and legislation is under
<br /> consideration in more than twenty other states , as well as in Congress ; and
<br /> WHEREAS , at the federal level, the " CROWN Act of 2019 " has been introduced by Representative
<br /> Cedric Richmond (LA-2) in the form of H . R . 5309 in December 2019 and by Senator Cory Booker
<br /> (NJ) in the form of S . 3167 in January 2020 , and would amend a panoply of existing federal civil
<br /> rights law prohibiting race discrimination in federally assisted programs , housing programs , public
<br /> accommodations , employment, and access to equal rights under the laws and
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