For many African immigrant women, hair braiding is a craft they began learning as children, gathered in rooms with elders sharing stories and watching their fingers weave designs across one another's heads. It's a social art, a cultural legacy, that can be found throughout the continent and across the diaspora, but at the same time, unique to each region. From albaso styles in the highlands of East Africa, to fulani braids in the West, braids are emblems of heritage and ancestry.

At the same time, the practice of braiding has saved the lives of generations of Black people across the world. Enslaved Africans used braids to chart paths to freedom and send messages to one another. They also used them to hide seeds and dried food. Braiding has been simultaneously a means for survival and an art form, and today, its role is no different.

In the United States, African immigrant women use their braiding skills to start their own businesses and support their families. For many, obtaining a license is a critical need to practice their profession with dignity and respect from clients and the industry.

However, New York braiders face numerous challenges when it comes to accessing the professional license needed for their work. This license, was out of reach for many African Hair Braiders due to a range of factors, including language inaccessibility, the time and cost of the associated training programs, and threats around immigration status. Braiders deserve to achieve self-employment, earn a dignified living, and be able to safely practice their craft and care for their families.  

We are calling on our community, across New York State, to stand for African immigrant braiders for their fight to access the license required to braid hair in NY.