photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Michele Watley, the founder of Shirley's Kitchen Cabinet, an advocacy group for Black women, voices support for the passage of Lawrence's CROWN Act ordinance during the Lawrence City Commission's Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023 meeting.

As of Tuesday, Lawrence is the first city in Kansas to make it illegal to make hiring, rental or public access decisions on the basis of someone’s natural hairstyle.

City leaders at Tuesday’s Lawrence City Commission meeting voted 5-0 to pass Ordinance No. 10003, which declares that restrictions or bans on natural hair or hairstyles “violate the intent and spirit” of the city’s anti-discrimination regulations.

The ordinance is Lawrence’s version of the CROWN Act — which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair — and is designed to prohibit race-based hair discrimination by employers, landlords, shopkeepers and other professionals. The ordinance gives a number of examples of the kinds of “protective hairstyles” that are protected from such discrimination, including, but not limited to, “braids, afros, bantu knots, cornrows, curls, locs, twists, or hair that is tightly coiled or tightly curled.”

“This is culture to us,” Commissioner Amber Sellers said ahead of the vote. “This is us showing the world our history and celebrating where we come from, who we are. The CROWN Act has that value to it — it allows us to wear our crown in all of its wonderful glory.”

To date, 23 states across the country have passed a law banning racial discrimination based on hair texture or hairstyle. But efforts at the statewide level in Kansas have stalled. So, too, has a national version of the CROWN Act, which passed in the U.S. House last year but failed in the Senate.

That’s left cities like Lawrence to take action themselves. Both of the largest cities in Missouri, Kansas City and St. Louis, have in recent years adopted their own ordinances in the absence of a statewide bill.

The CROWN Act has been a popular concept in Lawrence among members of the public. A day before the City Commission’s vote, supporters of the local ordinance — including Sellers — gathered in East Lawrence to urge its passage. And between messages submitted in advance of the meeting and comments shared by members of the public Tuesday evening, about 20 residents voiced their support for the ordinance.

Among those supporters Tuesday night were Lawrence NAACP President Ursula Minor and Michele Watley, the founder of Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet, an advocacy group for Black women. Watley thanked a number of partners for their help in paving the way for the CROWN Act to be approved.

“You all have really shown what it looks like when the community, elected officials and city departments work together to get good policy passed,” Watley said. “It’s been a pleasure to work with you, and I hope to work with you on future endeavors.”

The City Commission passed the ordinance on first reading Tuesday, which means it’ll appear on one more meeting agenda — likely on the consent agenda, which includes items generally considered routine that can be approved by one vote from commissioners without any discussion — for final approval.