The sharp knock at the door provoked a frown on the face of Taalib-Din Abdul Uqdah. As the co-owner and manager of Cornrows & Co., the first African hairbraiding salon in the District of Columbia, Uqdah was in the midst of another busy day, and the persistent knocking was an unwelcome interruption.
Uqdah found himself face-to-face with the enforcement officers from the D.C. Board of Cosmetology, who demanded to see Uqdah's cosmetology license. Uqdah replied he had not realized that he needed one, and promised to apply promptly.
Imagine his surprise when he found out that in order to braid hair in the District of Columbia, he had to complete at least 1,500 hours of prescribed training (more than eight months full time) in one of a handful of licensed cosmetology schools, which charged between $3,500 and $5,000. Applicants were required to master chemical and heat treatments of hair (which are irrelevant to braiding) and spend 125 hours practicing shampooing techniques. Each of the ten people employed by Uqdah had to be trained this way, and as a manager, Uqdah was required to take further training.
Unable to afford such time and expense, Uqdah and his wife, Pamela, decided to stay open without a license. Soon the cosmetology police returned, this time with a cease-and-desist order. Uqdah faced a choice: close up his business for months while he went to school, or continue to operate without a license and confront the prospect of hefty fines and up to 90 days in jail.
[Ed.: In New York, African-style hair braiders are required by a 1994 law to be trained in hair cutting and face shaving, even though they don't perform these services. What's more, the 900-hour course they are required by state law to complete is not taught by any cosmetology school in New York. The Ohio State Board of Cosmetology requires braiders to attend 1,500 hours of classes to get their license, despite the fact that the cosmetology schools do not teach hairbraiding, and the licensing examination does not test for it.]
