AR HB1871

Establishes the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act to prohibit discrimination based on race in Arkansas workplaces, public schools, and state-supported higher education institutions.

Defines "protective hairstyle" to include Afros, braids, locks, and twists, and prohibits employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and school districts from discriminating against individuals based on hair texture or protective hairstyles.

Amends Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 10 to prohibit school district administrators, board members, teachers, and employees from discriminating against students based on hair texture or protective hairstyles associated with race.

Amends Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 61 to prohibit state-supported two-year and four-year institutions of higher education from discriminating against students based on hair texture or protective hairstyles.

Amends the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993 to add definitions of "protective hairstyle" and expand the definition of "race" to explicitly include traits associated with or perceived to be associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles.