Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1486263
For Members S ince the passage of the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, or CROWN Act (H.R. 2116/S. 888), in the U.S. House of Representatives in March, SAG-AFTRA continues its work to get the bill passed in the Senate. On Oct. 18, the union issued a statement about the importance of the bill asserting that federal agencies and institutions must take steps to ensure that discrimination based on natural appearances is no longer tenable. Kerry Washington, Don Cheadle and Angela Bassett were among the many signers. Introduced by Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, the CROWN Act would effectively end hair texture-based discrimination in the United States. The bill would not only address discriminatory practices within federal agencies and institutions, but also in both public and private workspaces, including the entertainment and media industry. The union's wholehearted support of the bill aligns with its ongoing work to advance hair and makeup equity through prioritizing this issue in contract negotiations, raising awareness, leveraging industry partnerships and supporting legislative efforts. "When you work in an industry where you can be hired — or not hired — largely on how you look, you become acutely aware of how damaging it can be to discriminate against someone based on something as extraneous as how they wear their hair," said SAG-AFTRA L.A. Local Board member and Hair and Makeup Equity Work Group chair Jason George. "We've made strides in our own industry, but … until our nation's leaders say, in no uncertain terms, that it is not acceptable to discriminate against someone based on their hair, private employers and institutions will continue to skirt the issue with ease. The CROWN Act sets a new standard of equity that makes it harder to justify harmful and outdated practices." Visit sagaftra.org/CROWNAct for more. SAG-AFTRA Members Push for Passage of CROWN Act Washington CHELSEA LAUREN/SHUTTERSTOCK Bassett GREGG DEGUIRE/GETTY IMAGES FIELD SERVICES REPS ARE THE FRONT LINE OF CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT ensuring that productions comply with the union's contracts. This stream tells you everything you need to know about the important role of these SAG-AFTRA staff members.