Mountain State Spotlight, Fayette Tribune – As Katonya Hart stood outside of the House of Delegates chamber at the West Virginia Capitol, a sparkly tiara fastened to her multicolored twists, the energy around her was undeniable.
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A floor below, the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. moved about in coordinated red outfits, directing people around the building. Activists and policy experts lined up behind tables, eagerly passing out information, as a constant stream of students walked through, surrounded by banners and signs colored red, green, yellow and black. For much of the unseasonably warm and bright February day, it was impossible to go a few steps without passing someone wearing a gold crown, a symbolic support for the CROWN Act, legislation that if passed would ban discrimination based on hair texture and style.
It was Black Policy Day, a day that differed greatly from most others during the 60-day legislative session, with hundreds of Black West Virginians, allies, and young people filling the halls of the Capitol. As Hart, a lead organizer of the event put it, it was a day intended to let Black people know that they have a right to be in the building as much as anyone else.
