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By Gwendolyn H. Daniels
Feature Writer
Texas State Representative Rhetta Andrews Bowers hit it outof-the-park holding her first ever celebration of National CROWN Day, in collaboration with renowned children’s book author Charlie Marcol.
While planning the event held July 5 at the Afrocentric Epiphany Gallery in downtown Garland, who knew the community response would be so great that her R.S.V.P. window had to close prior to the anticipated deadline.
“Claim Your Crown with Confidence, Culture & Community” was the selected theme, and the two-hour schedule of activities extended nearly three hours due to so many amazing testimonials from the audience.
History of Texas CROWN Act
Rep. Bowers marketed the program as a celebration of National CROWN Day, but she made a point to remind those in attendance of her multi-year journey to pass legislation right here in Texas.
HB 567, the CROWN Act, passed the House on April 13, 2023 by a vote of 143 to 5. It passed the Senate on May 12, 2023 by a vote of 29 to 1.
Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 567 into law on May 30, 2023 “prohibiting race-based hair discrimination in Texas workplaces, schools, and housing policies.” HB 567 was enacted on September 1, 2023.
To begin her program, Rep. Bowers acknowledged her co-sponsor, Charlie Marcol, along with Leslie Montena, owner of Epiphany Gallery. She had all present and former elected officials to stand. Then she got the celebration going by asking her packed audience “who remembers the Royal Crown grease that our moms would use to press our hair back in the day?”
She received an immediate show of hands from attendees over age 50, with young girls and teens in the audience looking around somewhat confused!
Rep. Bowers took the opportunity to share an acronym that she has for CROWN: Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. Except for the H missing in her acronym, she came close. Finally, she shared that National CROWN Day is also known as “Representing Freedom Day,” and she read a resolution on why there’s a celebration of our freedom to wear our natural hair.
Additional Program Highlights
Another crowd response came when Rep. Bowers asked “who in here attended an HBCU?” About one-fourth of the audience raised their hands.
She then gave former WFAA traffic reporter, Tashara Parker, kudos for appearing in the Texas House and testifying in favor of the need for the then impending Texas CROWN Act.
There were several authors in attendance and a segment was held to spotlight their books. Ms. Toy C. Jones, one of the authors, was previously an educator for 17 years.
She said, “In school we have to learn about the Constitution, about the Mayflower, and about the Alamo, so why not teach our youth about our hair?”
Several members of the audience kindly consented to being interviewed. Sanaa Fairley, age 21 and a student at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, is home for the summer.
She said that she was “immensely proud of the opportunity to attend Rep. Bowers’ celebration today,” adding that, “as a college student who’s directly impacted by the way I wear my hair, sometimes in a positive way but also negatively, I love being here and learning more about the CROWN Act.”
Young Brenley Maull was there wearing a tierra as she had been crowned little Miss Juneteenth 2025 in her small town. Brenley said, “Today’s program lets me know that I should be myself, be natural and don’t think that you have to straighten your crown.”
Confidence Panel
A Confidence Panel was introduced by Kimberly Sawyer from Rep. Bowers’ staff. The panel consisted of four dynamic ladies representing generations from teenage to seniors:
Jhordyn Robinson (age 15); Wathena Clark (a federal retiree); Tarnesha Covington (US Army Major-Ret.); and Czaria Valentine (a college student). Rep. Bowers asked them to comment on the following questions such as: “Can you share your first recollection of getting your hair done? What was your turning point when you embraced your natural hair?”
Major Nickens, who served two decades in the Army with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Egypt recalled getting her hair pressed with Blue Magic. She shared, “in the military corn rows and braids were not allowed without consequences until 2021.” And she boldly stated “I want to be honest, I wear wigs because I’m still self-conscious about my natural hair. My daughter is helping to educate me more and more on wearing my own natural hair.”
Jhordan, a high school junior and dual credit student at Dallas College who holds a 5.6 GPA and earned a perfect score on the SAT and scored 31 on the ACT recalls her mom doing her hair at an early age. But she was traumatized in her early teens when her hair dresser cut her hair instead of taking the time to unbraid it. She said, “I got home and realized that my hair which had been down my back was now at my shoulders.”
Federal retiree, TSU alum and breast cancer survivor Wathenia Clark said she always wore her hair in afros while in college, but once she started her career, she conformed.
After retiring, she returned more and more to wearing her natural hair again. Wathenia recently asked her husband, “do you like my natural hair?” She said he responded “yes,” I like it.
Czaria, who describes herself as “a continual learner, a community leader, driven by the hope of change and the miracles of what faith brings,” said that her turning point was, “when in school I wanted the hairstyles all my classmates were wearing.” She declared, “braids and locs became my passion.”
Rounding Down the Celebration
One of the final program participants was Derrick Walker, a spoken word artist who brought the house down with his powerful oratorical skills.
The final presenter was a hair dresser who specializes in locs. She brought her family to the front of the gallery and allowed them to model the various types of locs that she offers in her salon.
As the program was winding down, members of the audience started raising their hands and standing to give personal comments about their experiences.
One of them was former Councilwoman Annie Dickson who shared, “I always wore my hair straight until I recently began to have medical problems with my eyes and kept burning myself when I’d do my hair. Finally, I got it cut off and started wearing it natural.” She shared that her daughter Tiffianey commented, “it’s about time!.
Another comment came from a young attorney, Antoinette N. Harris, Esq. who rose
to offer a huge debt of gratitude to Rep. Bowers for “remaining steadfast until the Texas CROWN Act was enacted.”
She told the audience, “I worked at a law firm in College Station. When I stopped wearing wigs and began wearing my sister locs, they started treating me differently.” She shared “I was reassigned and I ultimately left the firm.” Harris let Rep. Bowers know how grateful she was that she’d never be lawfully mistreated again about her hair.
Towards the close of the event, Rep. Bowers shared a hashtag that she’d created. It was: “Only those who know, know!”
Gwendolyn Daniels is a special correspondent for Garland journal. A true community servant, she is a past president of the South Dallas Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc.
