July 3rd is National Crown Day – Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.
Presented by Dove and the CROWN Coalition, National CROWN Day is returning on Saturday, July 3rd, with the inaugural CROWN Awards. Hosted by media personality Tai Beauchamp, the CROWN Awards will honor Black women paving the way with contributions to culture, community, entrepreneurship, entertainment and the advancement of Black beauty. The CROWN Awards will highlight the extraordinary strength, grace and perseverance of notable Black women, whether at the forefront or behind the scenes of change, whose talents and leadership help advance the legacy of Black excellence and beauty. Award categories will range from business to sports, to activism and the champions of The CROWN Act legislation.
The CROWN Awards will stream live on several channels, including TheCROWNact.com, Facebook.com/TheCROWNAct and Facebook.com/DoveUS at 7pm ET.
The CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” is a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists or bantu knots.
Confirmed guests and honorees for the CROWN Awards include:
- Esi Eggleston Bracey, COO & EVP of North America Beauty and Personal Care at Unilever
- Tabitha Brown, Actress and Entrepreneur
- Tashara Parker, Journalist and Activist
- Tina Lifford, Actress and Founder/CEO, The Inner Fitness Project
- Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles County Supervisor (former Senator)
- Honorable Bonnie Watson Coleman, U.S. Representative (NJ)
- Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Activist, Educator and Writer
- Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett, Immunologist & Scientific lead for the COVID-19 vaccine
- Michaela Angela Davis, Writer and Image Activist
- Beverly Smith, National President CEO for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
- Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, National President of The Links, Incorporated
- Curly Girl Collective
- Maya Penn, Environmental Activist
- Joy Holmes Harris, Former WNBA Player
- Haley Jones, NCAA Basketball Player
- Naomi Wadler, Student and Activist
- Adjoa B. Asamoah, Social impact and legislative Strategist
- Michelle Thornton Ghee, CEO, EBONY Magazine
- Jeanine LaRue, Activist
- Faith Fennidy, Student and Activist
- Yomi Calloway, Co-founder of Justice Now
- Nae Nae Twins, Social Media Influencers
- Spotlights on ‘Young CROWN’ with Alana Gay, Selah Thompson, ZaZa, Alejandra Roy and DJ Sophia Rocks
Leading up to the CROWN Awards, CROWN Day will also include a morning wellness workout with fitness professional Ashley Joi at 10:30am ET, live streaming on Instagram pages @ashleyjoi and @thecrownact.
Immediately following the awards will be an afterparty with DJ Olivia Dope and DJ Sophia Rocks with each DJ sharing a live set on each of their Instagram pages, @oliviadope and @djsophiarocks.
Also beginning on CROWN Day, Dove and the CROWN Coalition will partner with actress Tina Lifford’s The Inner Fitness Project for a 90-day wellbeing program. The free 90-day Inner Fitness Circle Program supports women in proactively building personal and community inner strength and resilience. As many as a thousand women will be chosen to participate in this groundbreaking wellbeing initiative. Women who are interested can learn more and sign up at thecrownact.com/tifp.
National CROWN Day is a special holiday commemorating the inaugural signing of the first CROWN Act legislation in the United States in 2019 to “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” In 2019, Dove and the CROWN Coalition partnered with then State Senator Holly J. Mitchell of California to introduce The CROWN Act legislation to address the disparate impact of hair discrimination on Black people in workplaces and in schools. California Senate Bill 188 (SB 188) was introduced in January 2019 and signed into law on July 3, 2019, making California the first state to prohibit discrimination based on protective hairstyles and hair texture associated with race. To date, thirteen (13) states and thirty (30) municipalities have enacted The CROWN Act, or laws inspired by The CROWN Act. A federal bill was introduced in both chambers of U.S. Congress in March 2021. This year’s National CROWN Day will mobilize the Black community and allies to call on federal legislators to pass The CROWN Act in both chambers of Congress.
As a founding member of The CROWN Coalition, Dove has championed The CROWN Act movement, created and driven by a team of Black women leaders working with a village of women who share a desire to end discrimination including Esi Eggleston Bracey and Erin Goldson of Dove, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Holly J. Mitchell, and JOY Collective agency leaders, Kelli Richardson Lawson, Orlena Nwokah Blanchard and Adjoa B. Asamoah as lead legislative strategist.
For more details on The CROWN Act and National CROWN Day, please visit www.thecrownact.com.
About The CROWN Coalition
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. For a full list of CROWN Coalition members, visit www.thecrownact.com.
The CROWN Coalition is proud to have supported anti-hair discrimination legislation to address unfair grooming policies that have a disparate impact on Black women, men and children and has drawn attention to cultural and racial discrimination taking place within workplaces and public schools. The CROWN Coalition members believe diversity and inclusion are key drivers of success across all industries and sectors.
