Haven't we figured it out yet? What is happening in Tennessee is not an anomaly. The fight between the Braiders, the Natural Hair Community and the Licensed Beauty Professional is not new to America's culture. It is the age old adage of "Divide and Conquer".
You see, this is a race war but it is not about the color of our skin, it is about the hair on our head. The Braiders want to braid hair without any licensing requirements. The Natural Hair Community wants to maintain and style hair, without the use of chemicals with minimal licensing requirements. The Licensed Beauty Professional provides chemical treatments and wants to continue to hold the hair industry to higher standards to protect the consumer.
So, who's right?
(1) The Braiders would argue that the practice of braiding hair is cultural, ancestral, and a GOD given talent and requires no government intervention or oversight.
(2) The Natural Hair Community would argue that there needs to be some basic training in health, safety and sanitation and some oversight to ensure consumer safety.
(3) Licensed Beauty Professionals would argue that that anyone who provides hair care services should be held to a higher standard of professionalism and held accountable, like doctors and lawyers.
So, who's right?
I would beg to differ that the answer to this question is not who's right but who's wrong? America has a history of controlling its subordinates by encouraging dissent between them. This "Divide and Conquer" strategy is rooted in America's capitalistic society. It's about competition, the have and the have nots and defeating your opponent. This is what is happening with Braiders, the Natural Hair Community and Licensed Beauty Professionals and they don't even know it.
They are competing for resources that they already own, so why are they competing? What should be happening is "collective capitalizing". The black hair care service market is gold and if Braiders, the Natural Hair Community and Licensed Beauty Professionals would join forces, they would dominate the service side of the industry, but instead, this fight is tearing it down and devaluing the entire profession. The solution is clear: Braiders, the Natural Hair Community and Licensed Beauty Professionals must join forces, strategize, organize, mobilize and initiate policy for the greater good and everybody wins.
Braiders, the Natural Hair Community and Licensed Beauty Professionals need to recognize that they are stronger together and instead of settling for pieces of the pie, collectively they could have the whole damn pie! If done correctly, this collaboration could revolutionize the industry and create a brand new, legitimate economy for generations to come. Hopefully, Braiders, the Natural Hair Community and Licensed Beauty Professionals will get this message..... Politics Beauty and Barber, www.PoliticsBeautyBarber.org