DOVE + CROWN COALITION
Creating the CROWN Act Movement
Legislative Advocacy & Coalition Building
Timeline: 2018 – Ongoing
The Challenge
In America, it was perfectly legal to discriminate against a woman because of her natural hair or protective hairstyles (braids, locs, twists, and bantu knots). This was an actual reality lived every single day by many. In fact, our groundbreaking research study confirmed that 80% of Black women felt pressured to change their natural hair just to walk into a workplace and be taken seriously.
Their curls, coils, and locs — their identity — was seen as unprofessional. Unwelcome. Wrong. Dove saw this injustice clearly and refused to look away. The question wasn't whether to act. It was how far they were willing to go and what we could do to change the narrative for Black women.
What We Did
We didn't just create a marketing campaign. We created an initiative that has become a movement. Partnering with Dove, our team built the CROWN Coalition from the ground up — four founding members who believed the world could change, growing into a 117-strong force that made sure it did. CROWN stood for something both simple and radical: Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.
And we fought for it everywhere. State by state, we championed legislation that turned conviction into law. We showed up in communities — over 200 activations strong. We commissioned murals that turned city walls into declarations of pride. We created National CROWN Day. We put natural hair in the newsroom with "National Hair on Air." We commissioned three landmark research studies that put undeniable data behind an undeniable truth. We celebrated trailblazers at four annual CROWN Awards. And we brought joy into the conversation — partnering with Gracie's Corner and Van Van to create original content that reached millions.
This wasn't awareness. This was change.
The Results
28 million lives protected • 30 states • 546K+ petition signatures
The Recognition
30+ awards won. 10+ finalist nominations. 7 years of recognition.
One movement.
2026
Smarties Award (Silver) — Diversity & Inclusive Excellence | Dove/CROWN Love
2025
WEBBY Award (Winner) — Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging | Dove/CROWN Love
Shorty Impact Award (Winner) — Racial Equity | Dove/CROWN Love
REGGIE Award (Silver) — Purpose, Cause or Nonprofit Marketing | Dove/CROWN Love
PRWeek Award (Finalist) — Best in Multicultural Marketing | Dove/CROWN Proud
2024
Effie Award (Winner) — Positive Change: Social Good – DEI | Dove/CROWN Proud
Anthem Award (Winner) — Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Dove/CROWN Proud
2022
EBONY Power 100 — Annual Power 100 List | Dove/CROWN
Cynopsis Best of the Best (Winner) — Best Social Justice Awareness Campaign | Dove/CROWN
Links Presidential Award — President's Award | Dove/CROWN
I Am The Change Award — Economic & Business Award | Dove/CROWN
Women en Blanc Honors — Impact Award: Women of CROWN | Dove/CROWN
REGGIE Award (Gold) — Multicultural or Lifestyle Marketing | CROWN Awards/National CROWN Day
REGGIE Award (Gold) — Purpose, Cause or Charity Marketing | CROWN Awards/National CROWN Day
REGGIE Award (Silver) — Experiential Marketing, Virtual Events | CROWN Awards/National CROWN Day
Marcom Award (Gold) — Strategic Communications/PR Research | Dove/CROWN
Marcom Award (Platinum) — Strategic Communications/PR Research | Dove/CROWN
Marcom Award (Platinum) — Strategic Communications/PR Research | Dove/CROWN
Marcom Award (Platinum) — Strategic Communications/PR Research | Dove/CROWN
Shorty Award (Finalist) — Campaign by Diverse-Owned Business | Dove/CROWN
Shorty Award (Finalist) — Social Good | Dove/CROWN
Shorty Award (Finalist) — Call-to-Action | Dove/CROWN
Shorty Award (Finalist) — Instagram Presence | Dove/CROWN
2021
PRWeek Award (Winner) — Campaign of the Year | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
PRWeek Award (Winner) — Best in Public Affairs | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
Cynopsis Best of the Best (Winner) — Best Social Justice Awareness Campaign | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
Unilever Internal Creativity Award — Purposeful Brand Communications | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY/Edelman
REGGIE Award (Gold) — Content Marketing | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
REGGIE Award (Gold) — Multicultural or Lifestyle Segment Marketing | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
REGGIE Award (Silver) — Purpose, Cause or Charity Marketing | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
PRWeek Award (Honorable Mention) — Best in Corporate Social Responsibility | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
PRWeek Award (Honorable Mention) — Best in Multicultural Marketing | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
PRWeek Global Award (Shortlisted) — Corporate & Social Responsibility | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
REGGIE Award (Shortlisted) — Super REGGIE Award | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
Glossy Award (Nominated) — Best Digital Event Series | Dove/CROWN Act/JOY
2020
Global SABRE Award (Winner) — #1 PR Campaign of the Year | Dove/The CROWN Act
North American SABRE Award (Platinum) — Best in Show | Dove/The CROWN Act
North American SABRE Award (Gold) — Advocacy & Public Affairs | Dove/The CROWN Act
PRWeek Purpose Award (Winner) — Most Purposeful Activation & Best Equity & Inclusion | Dove/The CROWN Act
Glossy Award (Winner) — Best Multi-Platform Campaign | Dove/CROWN
ANA Multicultural Excellence Award (Winner) — African-American | Dove/CROWN & National CROWN Day
ANA Multicultural Excellence Award (Winner) — Experiential Marketing | Dove/CROWN & National CROWN Day
ANA Multicultural Excellence Award (Winner) — Significant Results | Dove/CROWN & National CROWN Day
Let's Build Your Movement.
The CROWN Act started with research, a coalition, and the belief that culture strategy could change laws. It did. If you're looking for a partner who builds movements, not just campaigns, let's talk.