Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and, of course, the sponsor of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of, and as a proud sponsor of, the CROWN Act. For far too long, people with hairstyles or hair textures associated with their race or their nationality have faced discrimination. Yes, there are laws on the books, but it does not protect DeAndre Arnold, who was a senior at Barbers Hill High School in the Houston area. He was told to cut his dreadlocks in order to attend prom and his graduation ceremony. Imagine, you work all those years because they tell you that you need to graduate, and then he is told you have to cut your dreadlocks. For DeAndre, his hairstyle was important to him because it was part of his Trinidadian culture and about who he is. This is wrong. It must never ever happen again. The way that individuals choose to style their hair is a direct representation of their culture and of who they are. When individuals are told to alter, cut, or change their hairstyle, what they are really being told is to alter their culture and their being. This must end. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor this bill. I urge my colleagues here today to support it, to vote for it, and let's make this wrong a right.”