FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05/15/2025
Contact: Assefash Makonnen, 646- 629-7131, assefash@africans.us
65+ AFRICAN BRAIDERS RALLY IN ALBANY FOR EQUITABLE PROFESSIONAL LICENSING FOR NEW YORK STATE BRAIDERS
Braiders, legislators, and advocates called for the passage of [S.5438/A.6592], which will provide a fair and equitable pathway to licensing for hair braiders in New York.
ALBANY, NY. – On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, African Communities Together (ACT), advocates, and over 65 hair braiding professionals, dressed in colorful African clothing, held the first rally and lobby day demanding the passage of 2025 Natural Hair Styling Bills S.5438 (Cleare)/A.6529 (Hunter). The bill aims to reform the natural hair styling license requirements in the State of New York, which braiders and advocates say are particularly burdensome due to language barriers and excessive testing and training requirements.
“For government oversight to work, the underlying program must be fair, equitable, rational, and responsive,” said State Senator Cordell Cleare (D-30). “Hair Braiders in my District have spoken, and I trust them to know the facts on the ground as well as the best path forward to ensure that a skilled and loving practice passed down from generation to generation is not swamped in bureaucracy.”
“It was amazing to see so many dedicated hair braiders come to Albany to advocate for their profession,” said State Assemblymember Pamela J. Hunter (D-128). “Most of these braiders only earn when they work, which underscores how important this licensure change is to improve their occupation. Current standards are unproductively burdensome to those who have dedicated so much to this craft. I will continue to work towards these commonsense licensing reforms for our braiders, especially as we face economic headwinds and our immigrant communities face so much adversity.”
The Natural Hair Styling license is required to braid legally in New York. To obtain a license, braiders must meet the following requirements:
- Go to the doctor for a check-up;
- Complete 300 hours of training;
- Sit two exams: One written and the other practical; and
- Navigate a complicated process that is often in English.
These requirements have proven to be particularly challenging for Black immigrant braiders, as highlighted by African Communities Together in the 2019 report, “Licensing a Legacy: African Hair Braiders’ Vision for Reforming.”.
“For too long, African women hair braiders have been forced to navigate a system that doesn’t honor their craft. They’ve been required to complete hundreds of hours of classes and pay thousands of dollars to learn a skill they already know,” said Maimouna Dieye, New York Chapter Director, African Communities Together. “The current Natural Hair Styling licensing requirements impose unnecessary and burdensome barriers that prevent talented and hardworking braiders from legally practicing their craft and earning a dignified livelihood. The braiders in our community are not asking for special treatment. They are demanding equity and fair treatment. They want NYS to make the license more accessible so they can work with dignity and pride and provide for their families without fear or penalty.”
The 2025 Natural Hair Styling Bills [S.5438/A.6592] will drastically reform Article 27 of the general business law and makes the following changes:
- Allows anyone age 17 and older, who meets the criteria to apply for a hair braiding license, for which the scope of practice is defined in the legislation;
- Requires individuals seeking a license to pass a practical skills assessment, given to applicants in their native language;
- Establishes a training/education criteria of 40 hours (is currently 300 hours), with a primary focus on health and safety; and
- Requires all forms, materials, and skills assessments to be provided to applicants in their natural language.
“For many women from Africa and across the Black Diaspora, hair braiding represents their womanhood, connects them to their cultures, and serves as a symbol of pride in a world that hasn’t always been kind to our hair textures,” said Airenakhue B. Omoragbon, New York State Policy Manager, African Communities Together. “When African hair braiders started entering the United States in the 1980s, we welcomed their artistry and held their styles as an emblem of a new hair revolution. It isn’t right that people from the cultures that played a role in professionalizing hair braiding in the United States are being forced to leave the industry, due to barriers in attaining the New York’s Natural Hair Styling license. African braiders from our community want to be respected and protected in their profession. The crowd that showed up in numbers for this monumental event, tells us that there is no better time than now for this reform.”
"Our African Hair braiders have earned the right and deserve the respect to be recognized as licensed legitimate business owners and entrepreneurs," said Robert Agyemang, Vice President of Advocacy, New York Immigration Coalition. "For too long the braider community has not had the kind of access to the natural hair styling license that would allow them to achieve licensure, or that would recognize their many years, sometimes decades of experience. Removal of language barriers, and other excessive requirements will go a long way towards empowering some of our most skilled and dedicated small business owners and entrepreneurs."
For the majority of the crowd, this was their first time in the state’s capital and their first time engaging with state policymakers around this issue.
“I have been doing this job since I arrived in America. Braiding is not something new to me, I learned how to braid since I was 12 years old in my home country,” said Ramatoulaye Ngom, a professional braider based in Harlem. “My mother taught me how to braid by putting a dry corn in a bottle and using the leaves to learn how to braid. Most households in Africa with girls use this system and many ways to teach girls how to learn how to braid. This job allows me to practice what I learned from my mother, and also to take care of my family.”
“Many of our clients assume that we do not have the license, and they mistreat us and do not show any respect to us. I was hurt once on my forehead by a customer and I was bleeding,” said Massandje Doukoure, another professional braider from New York City.“We are asking elected officials to vote yes to the bills, which will give us some autonomy and freedom to do our job in peace.”
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About African Communities Together
African Communities Together is an organization of African immigrants fighting for civil rights, opportunity, and a better life for African families in the U.S. and worldwide. ACT connects African immigrants to critical services, helps Africans develop as leaders, and organizes African immigrant communities on the issues that matter.
Twitter/Instagram: @AfricansUS
Facebook: facebook.com/AfricansUS
Website: www.africans.us