Hairdressing students in New Jersey and New York now have to receive training on Black hair styles and textures, and the treatments that go with them, under new anti-bias provisions added to state licensing requirements.<\/p>\n
Training schools are required to include curricula on working with textured hair, which were not previously mandated by cosmetology schools, and students will have to demonstrate their proficiency on state licensing exams, which will be updated to reflect the new material.<\/p>\n
The New York measure expanding textured hair education was signed into law in 2023, but goes into effect in September. The New Jersey measure was signed into law<\/a> in January; the rollout began in August.<\/p>\n The phased-in changes underscore the mission of the so-called CROWN Act<\/a> campaign, short for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, which inspired legislation both states passed in 2019.<\/p>\n That measures generally expands the definition of racial discrimination to include disparate treatment and bias \u2014 in both the workplace and in public accommodations, such as hair salons \u2014 directed at people with natural hair styles and texture hair, particularly Black women<\/a>. New York City has similar protections.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cA seamstress should know how to work with every single piece of material that is put in front of him or her,\u201d said Atiya Johnson, the CEO and founder of Janas Hair Cosmetology Academy, which bills itself as New Jersey’s first Black-owned and operated cosmetology school. \u201cAs a cosmetologist, so should we. But if we’re not equipped and we’re not trained and taught to do so, then that is where the problem becomes.\u201d<\/p>\n The New Jersey law requires<\/a> schools to have the right tools to train students effectively. This includes items such as hair picks, weaving kits, and braiding packages, as well as hair mannequins featuring all hair types and textures for students to practice on. The state is still developing the specific rules and curriculum changes for enforcement.<\/p>\n