, right outside of Washington, D.C. In the few years since, we've seen several conversations about Black and how it's perceived shift., which would prohibit discrimination based on hairstyle and hair texture. "It's an important discussion and quite frankly, it is long overdue. I look forward to seeing this implemented in all 50 states. Natural, textured, ethnic — whatever you want to call it — it's all professional.
Often cosmetology training comes from a very Eurocentric framework where any hair type that isn't stick-straight or slightly wavy is treated as if it doesn't exist. This means that a lot of hair schools aren't training people on how to work with Afro-textured hair unless they take an additional course that focuses on it, which is a shame. Now, more people are calling for all hair textures to be included in standard cosmetology licensing programs.
Damtew points to education being the inherent root of the problem: "Stylists should be going to school and learning how to style and care for all textures. Of course, you'll have an opportunity to specialize if you want to, but what we now know to be true is that texture isn't exclusive to one race or ethnicity.
Of course, if you're an aspiring stylist, or even a working stylist looking to gain some business acumen, Damtew also runs, a 12-week course to help you secure the bag and build a brand and business both in and out of the salon. All the styling talent in the world won't teach you how to run a business, and Damtew is working to change that. "You're not just a stylist, you're a businessperson — even if you work for someone else," she says.