(TSN): Self-expression is the heart of individuality and autonomy and when it comes to people showing up in their natural state, it is also a God-given right according to Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).
Due to her fashionista attire, flawless complexion and stand out facial features, the first Black Congresswoman from Massachusetts, stands out in a crowd. She is also easy to spot by her smooth, hairless "crown." Her physical appearance was chosen for her with a diagnosis of alopecia that she chose to fully embrace. Many women sport baldness due to various illnesses but some choose to shave their heads. Either way for Pressly it is about "unapologetic" self acceptance.
A lead author on The Crown Act. Rep. Pressly welcomes the day that her Republican colleagues, fully support legislation that will allow people to wear their natural hair in schools and the workplace.
At the Capitol on the day of the 2024 State of the Union Adress Daryl George was a guest of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Addess. George has been deprived of the freedom to wear his hair in dreds to school. When she met the shy but courageous 17-year-old she told him to continue the fight because it will benefit millions of others.
The CBC let him know, "We have your back," Pressly told The Slice
News in an exclusive interview.
An estimated 6.7 Americans have Alopecia Areata, a condition where patches of hair is lost and can be treated by medication. Pressly has Alopecia totalis, a form of the illness where hair does not grow anywhere on the body. There is no treatment.to restore hair growth. When The Crown Act was presented for a vote Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebart of Colorado called it the "bad hair act." Actress Jada Pinkett Smith has a form of the disease that she said is caused by stress.
Since her journey with baldness began in 2019 Pressly has not only advocated for those with the autoimmune disease but also uses her platform to empower all everyone to be comfortable with how their hair grows naturally if they choose to wear it in that manner. Before revealing a chic bald look Pressly wore long braids and Senegalese twists. She said wearing wigs in the future is not out of the question but for now is accepting herself just the way she is.
She said that marginalized people in America have to "litigate, legislate and mobilize for things that are a birthright for other people. The fact that we have to navigate in a court system to show up in the world fully authentically and unapologetically with our hair in a protective style or as it grows out our head is completely unacceptable."
As for the future of the Crown Act she said its passage is at a standstill until the "Democrats get the gavel back."