SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor on Wednesday signed a law that prohibits discrimination against people wearing Afros, curls, locs, twists, braids and other hairstyles in the racially diverse U.S. territory.
The move was celebrated by those who had long demanded explicit protection related to work, housing, education and public services.
“It’s a victory for generations to come,” Welmo Romero Joseph, a community facilitator with the nonprofit Taller Salud, said in an interview.
The organization is one of several that had been pushing for the law, with Romero noting it sends a strong message that “you can reach positions of power without having to change your identity.”
While Puerto Rico’s laws and constitution protect against discrimination, along with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, a precedent was set in 2016 when a U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed a discrimination lawsuit and ruled that an employer’s no-dreadlock policy in Alabama did not violate Title VII.
Earlier this year, legislators in the U.S. territory held a public hearing on the issue, with several Puerto Ricans sharing examples of how they were discriminated against, including job offers conditional on haircuts.
It’s a familiar story to Romero, who recalled how a high school principal ordered him to cut his flat top.
“It was a source of pride,” he said of that hairstyle. “I was a 4.0 student. What did that have to do with my hair?”
With a population of 3.2 million, Puerto Rico has more than 1.6 million people who identify as being of two or more races, with nearly 230,000 identifying solely as Black, according to the U.S. Census.
“Unfortunately, people identified as black or Afro descendant in Puerto Rico still face derogatory treatment, deprivation of opportunities, marginalization, exclusion and all kinds of discrimination,” the law signed Wednesday states.
While Romero praised the law, he warned that measures are needed to ensure it’s followed.
On the U.S. mainland, at least two dozen states have approved versions of the CROWN Act, which aims to ban race-based hair discrimination and stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.”
Among those states is Texas, where a Black high school student was suspended after school officials said his dreadlocks fell below his eyebrows and ear lobes, violating the dress code.
A March report from the Economic Policy Institute found that not all states have amended their education codes to protect public and private high school students, and that some states have allowed certain exceptions to the CROWN Act.
A federal version was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, but it failed in the Senate. In May, Democratic lawmakers reintroduced the legislation.
FILE - A bronze statue of San Juan Bautista stands in front the Capitol building flanked by U.S. and Puerto Rican flags, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Caribbean island's governor on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, signed a law that prohibits discrimination against people wearing Afros, curls, locs, twists, braids and other hairstyles in the racially diverse U.S. territory. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo, File)
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — J.T. Miller scored 2:09 into overtime and the Vancouver Canucks got their first win of the season, beating the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Thursday night.
Teddy Blueger and Quinn Hughes had goals for Vancouver (1-1-2), with Kevin Lankinen stopping 26 shots.
Anton Lundell got his fourth goal in the last three games for Florida (3-2-1) and Jesper Boqvist also scored for the Panthers, who got 30 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.
Florida remained without forwards Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness).
Canucks: Scoring first hasn't been an issue for Vancouver, which has taken the first lead in three of its four games so far. But Miller's score saved the night for the Canucks, who improved to 2-8-0 in their last 10 games in the state of Florida.
Panthers: Mackie Samoskevich got an assist on Florida's first goal, the first career point for the 24th pick in the 2021 draft out of Michigan. It came in his 13th NHL game.
Hughes' goal at 6:30 of the second period for a 2-1 Vancouver lead was one that Florida said shouldn't have counted. Linesman Michel Cormier dropped the puck for a faceoff, but it never hit the ice and bounced off Vancouver's Nils Aman. The Panthers thought that should be a hand pass. The NHL disagreed and Aman got an assist on Hughes' score.
Lundell has stepped up in a big way with Barkov out of the lineup. He's got four goals in a three-game span for the first time and his three-game goals-coring streak ties a career best.
Both teams are back in action Saturday, Vancouver going to Philadelphia and Florida remaining home to face Vegas in a matchup of the last two Stanley Cup winners.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger (53) is congratulated by teammates after he scored during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Vincent Desharnais (73) and Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Florida Panthers center Jesper Boqvist celebrates after he scored during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Florida Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen (27) slams Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek (17) into the boards during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) attempts a shot against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell celebrates a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) shoots and scores against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Vancouver Canucks left wing Nils Hoglander (21) attempts a shot at Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (7) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger (53) and Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis (26) fight during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) deflects a shot during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
