Lula Henry and Shalandra Tucker, both of Jackson, learned to braid hair at a young age, swapping services for a few dollars from older friends and relatives.
Years later, Henry attended cosmetology school, where she earned a license to open her own braiding salon. Tucker, a nursing assistant, now braids hair for customers who find her by word-of-mouth.
Both women consider themselves seasoned professionals. Both agree that sanitation and safety are an important element of hair care.
But both have opinions that represent the divide among stylists and braiders regarding a compromise bill signed by Gov. Haley Barbour last week that removes cosmetology education requirements from those who braid for a living.
Henry, 44, who owns Hair Weaving & Braiding by Lacedric, believes every professional hairstylist should attend school to learn about proper hair care and sanitation. Tucker, 27, believes regulating braiding, a deeply rooted African tradition, is a waste of time and resources.
Henry, who paid close to $1,500 for her education in the late '80s, was taught how to braid by her mother. "Any person that knows how to braid has inherited it, but if it's going to be your livelihood, you should go to school," she said.
Tucker, on the other hand, doesn't plan on complying with the new legislation.
"I don't see any risk in braiding," she said. "They're (regulating) something that's been going on for years. It's saying we can't do what we want in our homes."
For years, the state required braiders to hold a wig specialist license or a license in cosmetology, which includes learning all aspects of the business from management to hairstyling. Such training now costs about $7,000.
But when the law goes into effect on July 1, braiders must take a self-guided test and pay an annual $25 registration fee to become a registered "professional."
The logistics of the testing and registration process, including the penalty for those who don't comply, are being worked on, said Jim Craig, director of health protection at the Mississippi Department of Health.
"We don't know enough about it yet, but once we get into the research of rules and regulations, the state board will ensure the public's health through the process," he said.
The cut in requirements worries Henry, who believes a rise in braiders means more competition for those who already have a cosmetology degree.
"Say I charge $100 for a braid and another woman braids in her home for $45. Who's going to be the loser here?" Henry asked, adding that cosmetology school is important because of its in-depth classes on proper sanitation techniques.
"I've had ladies that bleed on their head, and I can't fool with that," she said. "You can spread disease."
Several states, including neighboring Tennessee and Louisiana, are seeking to regulate hairbraiding. Other states are opting to free hairbraiders from regulations and licensing, including Arizona, California and Maryland.
Mississippi's legislation stems from a lawsuit filed last year by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute of Justice, which claimed the state's braiding regulations were unlawful.
While some in the hair-care industry argue braiding needs strict regulation, others, including those who see the practice as an art form, wonder whether states are trying to restrict self-expression.
"If I want to pay my niece to braid my hair, what's wrong with that?" asked Alferdteen Harrison, a history professor at Jackson State University, where students often meet at the center of campus to braid. "This is just another way to criminalize African-Americans. This is a cultural thing that should not be messed with."
The art of braiding goes back to the dawn of civilization, but it became predominant in slavery times because it was a form of nurturing between family members.
During the 1960s and later, natural styles that included braids and the Afro were worn as a political statement of resistance to conformity in the black arts movement.
African tribes still use braids to distinguish levels of royalty, and in the United States, celebrities have helped the hairstyle gain mainstream acceptance.
Although Caucasians, Latinos and Asians also sport the look, "it's only in African-American hair that you can see, time and time again, that it's more than a fashion statement," said Kim Curry Edmonds, curator of Hair Stories and Women of the World: A Global Collection of Art, an exhibit on the cultural significance of hair that recently opened in New Orleans.
"There's always more behind it. You can't just dye it blond and call it a day, because it becomes a discussion on what we're doing with our identity," she said.
For Tucker, a mother of four young children, braiding is part heritage and part necessity. The practice keeps her family afloat during hard times.
While a licensed braider in a salon can charge $200 or more per customer, Tucker does it for $80 to $100 and charges her closest friends only $50.
"When I braid hair I can make it until the next paycheck," Tucker said.
Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology President Gayle Lunsford, however, is livid about the compromise, and said there are more than 40 cosmetology schools in the state that teach different aspects of hairbraiding.
"It's ridiculous that we pay for a license and now other people can come from behind and work without one," said Lunsford of Laurel. "It's never been about regulating anything, but teaching braiders about hair structure and chemicals ... (Braiders) want to be considered professionals, but I do not regard them as one of us."
Jackson elementary school teacher Kimaada "Queen" Ellison, 26, who also braids, thinks registering with the state would give a braider "more credibility" with his or her clients.
"Those working out of their homes shouldn't worry about it, but if you want more public access then you might as well do those simple procedures," she said. "The state needs to make their stipulations known."
Source from clarionledger.com
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