CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to human rights; including protections against discrimination based on citizenship and immigration status; adding a definition of race for certain purposes; and amending Sections 3.14.910, 3.14.931, 14.04.020, 14.04.030, 14.04.040, 14.04.050, 14.06.020, 14.06.030, 14.08.015, 14.08.020, 14.08.045, 14.08.070, 14.08.190, 14.10.010, and 14.10.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
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WHEREAS, the City of Seattle values being an open, welcoming, and inclusive city of opportunity for all its residents, workers, and visitors; and
WHEREAS, the City of Seattle is committed to recognizing the dignity of all its residents, including the right of all Seattle residents to live in a City that does not subject them to prejudicial treatment or discrimination; and
WHEREAS, in 2020, the State amended the "Law against Discrimination" to include protection from discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status; and
WHEREAS, the City adopted Resolution 31730 in 2017 and Resolution 31890 in 2019 making a commitment to protect and promote policies of inclusion for all its residents regardless of their immigration status or refugee status; and
WHEREAS, in 2020, the State amended the "Law against Discrimination" to include a definition of race that is "inclusive of traits historically associated or perceived to be associated with race including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles. For purposes of this subsection, "protective hairstyles" includes, but is not limited to, such hairstyles as afros, braids, locks, and twists"; and
WHEREAS, across the country, Black people are disproportionately burdened by practices and policies in public places, including the workplace, that target or profile them for natural hairstyles; and
WHEREAS, in 2019 the Crown Research Study found that 80 percent of Black women surveyed have felt pressure to change their hairstyles...
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