The CROWN Act
In 2021, the CROWN Act passed citywide in Louisville, KY. The CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, prohibits race-based hair discrimination. The CROWN Act made headlines alongside Dove’s campaign for policy change in publications like Popsugar, 21Ninety, AdAge, Byrdie, and more.
The act was able to get passed with the help of a female and youth-led music group called The Real Young Prodigys. The group originally released a song in 2021 called “Crown.” The song gained traction, caught the attention of the lawmakers in the city of Louisville, and then, boom, the CROWN Act came to fruition.
The Real Young Prodigys
The Real Young Prodigys released their “Crown” remix with a video directed by Dantana Smith featuring them in bright-colored wigs, doing fun choreography while simultaneously bringing awareness to and spreading the message about respecting hair and choice. Lines like “we rock our hair in different ways” stand out as statements that speak to the individuality and uniqueness of natural hair.
The music group uses hip-hop as a tool to educate people on racial injustice and Black history in America. Young women are an embodiment of the next generation of female leaders. These ladies are expressing themselves and fighting for a cause they’re passionate about that affects them directly. Their ambition and determination to implement change have created quite a bit of buzz around the group. Recently, they were surprised live on The Tamron Hall Show with a $500,000 grant from The Lewis Prize for Music for their work.
The Real Young Prodigys started as a dare amongst fifth-grade students in Mrs. Clayton-Taylor’s creative writing class at Wheatley Elementary in Louisville, KY. Ever since then, it has catapulted into a full-fledged movement that gives young women the potential to use their voice, call for change to policy, and make it happen.
Head over to YouTube to listen to their new remix!
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