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September 6, 2024
House Bill 1169, which became effective on September 1, 2024, created a private cause of action for discrimination based on hairstyles relative to a person’s ethnicity.
Specifically, New Hampshire recently became the 26th state to adopt a version of the model CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair). House Bill 1169 prohibits discrimination in employment because a person wears a protective hairstyle.
“Protective hairstyles” are defined as hairstyles or hair types, including braids, locs, tight coils or curls, corn rows, Bantu knots, Afros, twists, and head wraps.
A person subjected to discrimination based on wearing a protective hairstyle will have a private cause of action and will be exempt from the jurisdiction of the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights and the provisions of New Hampshire’s Law Against Discrimination.
The New Hampshire Department of Corrections is exempted from the new law.
Employers: Update your policies and practices, including, but not limited to, your dress code, grooming, and anti-discrimination policies, to ensure compliance with this new law.
The author of this article, Patricia Tsipras, is a member of the Bar of Pennsylvania This article is designed to provide one perspective regarding recent legal developments, and is not intended to serve as legal advice in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, or any other jurisdiction, nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship with any reader of the article where one does not exist. Always consult an attorney with specific legal issues.
