Linguists first used code-switching to describe people moving between two languages or dialects in conversation, such as between African American English and Standard American English, or English and Spanish. The term has since expanded to cover changes in appearance, behavior and expression to fit dominant norms. For many Black, Latino and Asian American professionals, this means changing hair, speech, names or topics of conversation at work.
A 2019 Harvard Business Review article by Courtney McCluney and colleagues found that Black employees often code-switch to be seen as professional and to avoid stereotypes. It can help people get hired and promoted, but it takes a toll, including exhaustion and a feeling of not being able to be oneself. The pressure comes from workplace norms that treat white, middle-class behavior as neutral.
Policy has started to address one piece of it. The CROWN Act, first passed in California in 2019, bans discrimination based on natural hair textures and protective styles, such as braids and locs. Many other states have since passed versions of it.