COLUMBUS, Ohio – Alaska has a state law protecting individuals, mostly Black people, from discrimination for wearing braids, locs and twists – legislation known as the CROWN Act. So does Nebraska. And Texas.

In total, 28 states have passed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act.

But not Ohio.

State Rep. Juanita Brent, a Cleveland Democrat, has tried three times to get such a law passed. Now she’s trying again.

Brent introduced her bill for a fourth time on Aug. 13 with bipartisan support. It would prohibit discrimination against students wearing protective hair styles in traditional public and charter schools and public preschools. The student alleging discrimination could sue in any court having jurisdiction over the matter.

Last legislative session, the bill passed the Ohio House but died in the Senate. The first two versions of the CROWN Act were broader, and prohibited discrimination in private schools, employment, in places of public accommodation and other situations. The broader versions of the bill never advanced out of committee.

Some states’ CROWN Acts are broader than Ohio’s current bill, House Bill 415.

A national coalition formed in 2019 to fight for protection against discrimination of race-based hairstyles. Throughout the years, students have been forced to cut their dreadlocks to participate in sports or have been suspended because of their hair.

A 2023 study showed that Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional. Two-thirds of Black women change their hair for a job interview, with 41% of them making it straight.

Fifty-four percent of Black women feel they must wear their hair straight to a job interview to be successful. Twenty percent of Black women ages 25-34 reported having been sent home from work because of their hair, the study found.

Last legislative session, Congress considered the CROWN Act, although the bill never made it across the finish line.

The following states have passed a version of the CROWN Act, according to the Crown Coalition: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.