Illinois: The CROWN Act (SB817)
Adopted: August 2021 Bill Number: SB817 Governor: J.B. Pritzker Status: Enacted
Illinois enacted its CROWN Act in August 2021 when Governor J.B. Pritzker signed SB817. The legislation was the thirteenth state-level CROWN Act adoption and was significantly influenced by the nationally publicised case of Jett Hawkins, a young student whose experience crystallised the human cost of hair discrimination in schools.
Key Provisions
Illinois Human Rights Act amendment. SB817 amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to include hair texture and protective hairstyles, including braids, locs, twists, cornrows, and Bantu knots, within the definition of race.
Employment and education. The legislation covers workplace discrimination and school grooming policies, providing protections in both settings.
Illinois Department of Human Rights. The department has jurisdiction to investigate and adjudicate hair discrimination complaints under the amended act.
The Jett Hawkins Case
Illinois’s CROWN Act adoption is closely associated with the case of Jett Hawkins, a student who was disciplined by his school for wearing his hair in locs. The case received national media attention and was cited in legislative hearings as a concrete example of how grooming policies harm children.
Jett’s experience illustrated several key dynamics documented in CROWN Act research: that hair discrimination begins in childhood, that school policies can be vectors of racial bias, and that the psychological impact on young people is significant. The UConn Hair Satisfaction Study (2025) would later quantify what Jett’s case illustrated: 54% of Black girls aged 12 report hair-related teasing.
The case demonstrated the power of individual stories to complement quantitative evidence. In Illinois’s legislative proceedings, the combination of personal testimony and research data proved more persuasive than either alone.
Illinois Context
As the largest Midwestern state and the sixth most populous state nationally, Illinois’s adoption carried particular significance. With approximately 1.9 million Black residents, concentrated primarily in Chicago and its suburbs, Illinois has one of the largest Black populations in the Midwest.
Chicago’s position as a major corporate, cultural, and educational centre meant that the legislation’s impact extended to Fortune 500 companies, major universities, and public school systems serving hundreds of thousands of students. The city’s history of civil rights activism and its vibrant Black cultural institutions provided a receptive context.
For how Illinois fits the broader movement, see the CROWN Act timeline. For analysis relevant to the European context, see Lessons from the CROWN Act for Europe.
For detailed legal analysis of Illinois’s CROWN Act provisions, contact [email protected].