The film Hair Love has just won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. Though only a little under seven minutes, the movie manages to be funny, joyful, and heartwarming, while sending a powerful message of of acceptance and inclusion. View Hair Love here, and share this wonderful film with your family and friends.
During the Oscars, Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver accepted the award and called awareness to an issue many don’t know about: The CROWN Act. CROWN, which is an acronym for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.
The act is dedicated to banning discrimination based upon someone’s hairstyle. According to their website, “The CROWN Act ensures protection against discrimination based on hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles in the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and state Education Codes.” So far, the act has already been implemented in California, New York, New Jersey, and Montgomery County, Maryland.
Erin Uritus, CEO of LGBTQ employment nonprofit Out and Equal, praised the film and its Oscar win, saying, ”
“Bias takes many forms. The filmmakers behind Hair Love did us all a service by telling a story that powerfully showed that hair-based discrimination is linked to race. They raised our collective consciousness. They deserve even more credit for connecting the dots to the Crown Act. Remedies like this are key to providing dignity and inclusion for all.”
