Hair and history: As a bill to protect Confederate monuments advances in West Virginia, a bill to

[TexasTowelie]

Hair and history: As a bill to protect Confederate monuments advances in West Virginia, a bill to ban Black hair discrimination stalls


The West Virginia Legislature, overwhelmingly made up of white lawmakers, is considering two bills that hit particularly close to home for Black constituents — one that would prevent the removal of Confederate monuments, and one to ensure Black West Virginians can wear their natural hair free from discrimination.

White lawmakers in powerful positions at the Legislature decide whether those bills have a chance at becoming law, because they decide whether those bills will be placed on a committee agenda, which is the next step in the legislative process after a bill is introduced.

On Monday, lawmakers in the House of Delegates Government Organization Committee passed the “West Virginia Monument and Protection Act of 2021,” sponsored by Delegate Chris Phillips, R-Barbour. Even though the bill is already on the House floor, the committee has scheduled a public hearing on the measure for 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Meanwhile, with the legislative session more than halfway over, lawmakers haven’t prioritized a bill to ban discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race, such as natural Black hair or dreadlocks.

Read more: https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2021/03/17/hair-and-history-as-a-bill-to-protect-confederate-monuments-advances-in-west-virginia-a-bill-to-ban-black-hair-discrimination-stalls/