Senator Jamaal Bailey’s Bill S6528A was signed into law this year. It requires all cosmetologists and natural hair stylists in New York State to be trained to service all hair types and textures––including Black/afro textured hair––as a condition of licensure.
The big question is: It’s 2023, why do we still have to resort to passing laws against hair discrimination? To this day, despite decades of consistent pro-natural movements in the country and worldwide, Black hair continues to be politicized.
Black students in some states can face disciplinary actions from school administrations for simply wearing ‘long’ natural hair and hairstyles. In some industries or corporate settings, Black adults can face harsh discrimination or be seen as “unprofessional” because of their hair. Black women even risk “intrusive and disrespectful” treatment just trying to get through airport security because of their hair.
“Hair is deeply personal,” said Bailey, who’s been a staunch advocate in the movement to end hair discrimination laws across the nation. He worked alongside coalitions like The Natural Hairstyle and Braid Coalition (NHBC) and others to pass the CROWN Act of 2019 in the state.
“As a proud husband to my wife and father of two young girls, I want them to feel confident and beautiful when it comes to their uniquely textured hair––and in all the ways it is inextricably linked to our well-being, personal identity, and how we show up in the world. Individuals with hair of all textures deserve to feel welcomed, understood, and safe when they seek out hair care services,” said Bailey.
The Black hair care industry in the U.S. stems from the late 1860s with Madame C. J Walker, however, Marjorie Joyner was the first Black woman to attend and graduate from cosmetology school in 1912. Teaching Black haircare stylists and mandating licensing for natural hair is altogether a fairly recent concept in the past few decades.
Culturally, because of a history rooted in racism and segregation, most in the industry didn’t seek out licensing because Black people were barred from professional schools, said NHBC Co-President Diane Da Costa. If they could afford and were allowed to attend, they were not guaranteed to be educated about caring for natural Black hair but rather how to manipulate it into being straight to adhere to white beauty standards, she said.
“We live in a society that is racist. Yes we’ve had millionaires, Madame C. J. Walker, bringing hair cultivation to the forefront,” said Da Costa. “[But] a lot of stylists worked from home. They did braiding, they did styling because they could not work in a salon. That was the push to bring stylists out of their homes to be professional business owners and thrive.”
New York has a deep legacy in normalizing natural hair, said Da Costa. It was the first state to adopt a natural hair styling license in 1993. Then Assemblymember Gary Pretlow passed a bill in 2017 mandating two natural hairstylists to be on the Secretary of State’s Appearance Enhancement Advisory Committee and additionally form an advisory committee for the inclusion of texture education in cosmetology.
Khane Kutzwell, a Black master barber, founded Camera Ready Kutz in 2007. Her barbershop on Utica Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn is LGBTQIA+ friendly with a largely female staff that caters to all types of natural hair and styles. She attended barber and cosmetology school. It’s upsetting to her that plenty of stylists of color have to know how to handle all types whether or not it’s the majority of hair they work with or not.
“At barber school we worked with all textures of hair, straight to tight and curly,” said Kutzwell, “but in cosmetology it seems it’s mainly straight hair or how to straighten textured hair. I think that in cosmetology it is an absolute must that they should know how to work with textured hair.”
However, she said she doesn’t like that she is asked often by white barbers to teach them essentially in a few hours how to cut textured hair if they’re not familiar with it, when she’s received years of training to specialize in it.
Debra Hare-Bey is a licensed cosmetologist, master braider and celebrity natural hair stylist. To her the dearth of hair texture education is because Black hair hadn’t been celebrated. She believes that hair care is intricately tied to health care since health issues often impact one’s hair. Washing, treatments, scalp assessments, dealing with texture in its natural state etc. are all a part of the service stylists should provide, she said, and that’s not happening widely for Black hair entrepreneurs.
“All the textures are amazing,” said Hare-Bey. “Hair love across the board. It doesn’t matter, you know what matters, healthy hair. And understanding that healthy hair is really consistent with a healthy body. Those are the conversations we’re having in the natural hair space and that’s where [we’re] trying to take our industry. It’s a holistic opportunity for hair care.”
Bailey’s recent cosmetology law goes all the way to the Secretary of State too, and requires that office to promote inclusive hair education and testing for cosmetologists or natural hair stylists. “The current standards in the cosmetology industry often do not adequately prepare professionals to work with diverse hair textures. This knowledge gap disproportionately impacts women and girls of color with textured and diverse hair who face challenges in seeking out services that meet their needs,” continued Bailey.
Weena Jerome-Alexandre is the founder of Renaissance Curls, a natural hair shop on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in Harlem that offers natural hair training classes. Jerome-Alexandre said that Bailey’s bill is a significant development that is long overdue, however it presents some challenges with hiring practices.
“It’s essential to clearly define the curriculum and ensure that competent instructors are hired,” said Jerome-Alexandre. “While the law presents an opportunity to modernize cosmetology education for hair stylists to learn about all hair textures, there’s a concern that educational objectives might be overshadowed by corporate interests which might overlook the invaluable contributions of groups like the [NHBC] that have been advocating for this for years. Collaborating with experienced professionals in textured hair care is vital to ensure the legislation’s effective implementation to truly benefit the targeted audience.”
For more information about NYS cosmetology licensing, check out dos.ny.gov/cosmetology.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.