Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro traveled to a West Philadelphia hair salon this week to sign a bill focused on identity politics, not real governance. The new CROWN Act prohibits "hair discrimination" in the state, protecting hairstyles like locs, braids, and afros. The legislation easily passed the state Senate with a 44-3 vote.
Shapiro claimed the new law was essential for basic decency. He said, “Real freedom means being respected for who you are — no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, or who you pray to.” The Governor added that “too long, many Pennsylvanians have faced discrimination simply for hairstyles that reflect their identity and culture — that ends today.”
Democrat lawmakers said the motivations were deeply personal. House Speaker Joanna McClinton claimed, “I never wore braids from law school to being a public defender for seven years in this city, because I always had a perception that it would not be respected.” She added that now, “They will not look at your hair and say you cannot work here.”
Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes used the signing to claim past tragedy. She said, “Hair discrimination has taken confidence from our children, but that ends today. Hair discrimination has taken dignity from workers, but that ends today.” This kind of inflated rhetoric makes a simple workplace issue sound like a major civil rights crisis.
The political theater surrounding this minor bill distracts from the real issues facing Pennsylvania. Twenty-eight other states have similar laws, showing that Democrats prefer focusing on cultural grievances over crime and the economy.
The most extreme comments came from former first lady Michelle Obama during her recent book tour. Obama claimed that black women are “trapped” by societal expectations and feel compelled to keep their hair straight to meet “your beauty standards.”
She then launched into a completely bizarre claim linking hair to basic life skills. She told her audience, “Let me explain something to white people. Our hair comes out of our head naturally in a curly pattern.”
Obama then continued her rant, saying, “When we straighten it to follow your beauty standards, we are trapped by the straightness.” She finished the tirade with an aggressive lecture to society.
She claimed that black women “can’t swim, and we run away from the water,” and “run away from the gym because we’re trying to keep our hair straight for y’all.” Obama concluded by telling society to “get out of” her hair, asking, “So why do we need an act … an act of law to get white folks out of our hair?”
This over-the-top identity politics proves that the Left uses every issue, no matter how small, to pit Americans against each other.