OMAHA- A crowded room in North Omaha buzzed with talk of liberation and progress on Friday, in celebration of a new state law that addresses racial discrimination on the basis of hair texture and style in the workplace. People gathered in the Highlander Accelerator to celebrate Legislative Bill 451, with Gov. Pete Ricketts signing ceremonial copies of the bill for key contributors to its passage. The bill expands a ban on racial discrimination in the workplace to include discrimination based on hair textures or styles historically associated with race, such as protective hairstyles that include braids, locks and twists.

State Sen. Terrell McKinney introduced the bill, which the Legislature passed on a 40-4 vote in April and Ricketts signed into law last month. “In the age where employment discrimination rarely presents itself in policies that explicitly exclude based on race, LB 451 addresses harmful practices that appear neutral but actually work to deny job opportunities for reasons that have nothing to do with your qualifications and ability to do a particular job,” McKinney said.

McKinney has also introduced an interim study resolution to look at the impact of natural hair discrimination in educational settings. He said that his office will do research to see if that is an issue and if legislation might be necessary and that there may be a hearing on the issue.

“If we are going to live up to our state’s motto, ‘Equality before the law,’ it’s important that we continue to make sure we do not have racial discrimination in the (workplace),” Ricketts said Friday.

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