Dove is celebrating National Crown Day on Saturday, July 3rd. 

National Crown Day commemorates the inaugural signing of the first Crown Act legislation in the United States in 2019 to "Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair."

The July 3rd celebration will feature a full day of virtual events, including the inaugural Crown Awards at 7:00 p.m. ET honoring Black women paving the way with contributions to culture, community, entrepreneurship, entertainment and the advancement of Black beauty.

Dove is a founding member of The Crown Coalition, created and driven by a team of Black women leaders, including Dove's Esi Eggleston Bracey and Erin Goldson.

Others who have started the movement are Los Angeles County Supervisor, Holly J. Mitchell; JOY Collective agency leaders, Kelli Richardson Lawson, Orlena Nwokah Blanchard; and Adjoa B. Asamoah as lead legislative strategist.

The Crown Coalition is a national alliance founded by Dove, National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, and Color Of Change. It is supported by over 80 community and advocacy organizations.

Sign the Petition

A federal bill was introduced in both chambers of U.S. Congress in March 2021. Join The Crown Act movement to end race-based hair discrimination in the U.S. by signing the petition.

Esi Eggleston Bracey, executive VP/COO of North America Beauty and Personal Care at Unilever, comments:

"I am so pleased that Dove and the CROWN Coalition have inspired a movement with such significant impact across the country, and I am grateful for the army of support working tirelessly to end hair discrimination. Within two years, we've successfully passed legislation in 13 states, introduced a federal bill, grown our CROWN Coalition to over 80 powerful organizations, and exceeded our petition signatures with over 265,000 people joining our movement. Dove has always stood for beauty inclusivity and rejects social injustice of any kind, and we now must focus on the work needed to achieve the next major victory -- passing the federal bill to protect Black women, men and children nationwide."

13 States Signed The Crown Act

To date, 13 states and 29 municipalities have enacted The Crown Act, or laws inspired by The Crown Act, but there is still more work to be done to make hair discrimination illegal across the country. 

The 13 states are: 

• California (July 2019)
• New York (July 2019)
• New Jersey (December 2019)
• Virginia (March 2020)
• Colorado (March 2020)
• Washington (March 2020)
• Maryland (April 2020)
• Connecticut (March 2021)
• Delaware (April 2021)
• New Mexico (April 2021)
• Nebraska (May 2021)
• Nevada (June 2021)
• Oregon (June 2021)

Eight (8) additional states are considering The Crown Act and have either pre-filed, filed or formally introduced their own anti-hair discrimination bills, including:

• New Hampshire
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Wisconsin
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Illinois

National Crown Day

This year's events kickoff with a 7-day countdown of virtual engagement and community connections leading up to Crown Day, which will feature a day of activations, including the inaugural Crown Awards.

The inaugural Crown Awards will highlight the extraordinary strength, grace and perseverance of notable Black women, whether at the forefront or behind the scenes of change, whose talents and leadership help advance the legacy of Black beauty and brilliance. 

The Legend Crowns will celebrate honorees 50 and older; Iconic Crowns will spotlight recipients ages 30-50; and Young Crowns will highlight winners who are 30 and under. 

Award categories range from art and business, to music, sports and the champions of The Crown Act legislation.

On Saturday, July 3rd, the Crown Mural will be unveiled in our Nation's Capital at 7 pm, followed by the Crown Awards at 8:30 pm.