Om specializes in styling curly, natural hair — something that Puerto Rican women often go to great lengths to straighten with strong chemicals and hair dryers. Ahniella Gomez, 44, with her ...

Inspired by the CROWN Act and painful experiences with racism against Black hair, Afro-Puerto Rican activists are rallying to pass Senate Bill 1282 as time runs out. When Cynthia Collazo Pacheco ...

Puerto Rican lawmakers have opened to public debate a bill that would explicitly ban hairstyle-based discrimination in the Caribbean territory.

Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Pierluisi signed Senate Bill 1282 ordering all establishments to adjust their regulations to highlight this public policy, but efforts to implement the bill have been in ...

Lawmakers are urging Puerto Rican officials to pass a bill that would establish clear public policy opposing racial discrimination linked to specific protective natural hairstyles such as afros ...

Puerto Rico legislators are holding a public hearing on a bill that seeks to prohibit discrimination against certain hairstyles in the racially diverse U.S. territory, sparking a heated debate.

Early on Saturday morning, business at Laura Om's salon on Calle Loiza in San Juan, Puerto Rico is booming. Hurricane Maria, in a roundabout way, has something to do with that. Om specializes in ...

Om specializes in styling curly, natural hair — something that Puerto Rican women often go to great lengths to straighten with strong chemicals and hair dryers. / Erika P. Rodriguez for NPR ...

When Hurricane Maria cut off access to electricity and water on the Caribbean island and U.S. territory, some women started to change how they styled their hair.