In a move to ban a pervasive form of racial discrimination, we strongly supported a piece of legislation which would expand the definition of race under our state anti-discrimination laws to include “traits historically associated with race,” importantly including hair texture and protective hairstyles. Stories of, for example, young Black students being disciplined or suspended due to their hairstyles are distressingly common; this bill would explicitly specify that such biases, however unconscious they may be, are not allowed in Rhode Island, and would protect these incidents of racial discrimination under our anti-discrimination statutes. This bill passed the House, but did not cross over to the Senate.
