A federal judge dismissed most of the lawsuit filed by a Black teen who faced hair discrimination over his locs. Darryl George, 18, was banned from attending classes at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas because of his locs. As a result, George was given in-school suspension since Aug. 31, 2023.
One day after his suspension began, the CROWN Act, which makes hair discrimination illegal, went into effect in the state of Texas. However, the CROWN Act did not prevent the school district from limiting George’s punishment over his hair.
George and his family filed a lawsuit against the school district, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton for violation of the state’s CROWN Act.
On Aug. 7, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown dismissed the claims against Abbott, Paxton, and the district and school employees. Brown was appointed as a federal judge by Donald Trump on March 11, 2019.
Brown dismissed claims that enforcement was primarily against Black students, but did little to show evidence of students of other ethnicities that faced similar issues. The judge also said the school had not shown a “persistent, widespread practice of disparate, race-based enforcement” with its policy. Brown also claimed there was no precedent to demonstrate that hair length is supported under the First Amendment.
However, George’s claim of sex discrimination stood. Brown wrote in his ruling, “What is the rationale for the dress code’s distinction between male and female students? Because the District does not provide any reason for the sex-based distinctions in its dress code, the claim survives this initial stage.”
The CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, seeks to eliminate discrimination based on hair textures. Legislation was introduced after a Black high school athlete was forced to cut his locs before competing in a wrestling match. The video went viral and shed light on how Black people often face discrimination based on hair in the work place and school.
Before he recent passing, Rep. Barbra Lee was a proponent of The CROWN Act. During a hearing on the act in 2022, Lee said, “Black people are penalized for their natural hair every day in this country, from school to work. This isn’t over – we’re going to keep fighting.”
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley added, “Black hair is beautiful, and no amount of racism or ignorance from the other side of the aisle will stop the power of our movement.”