On April 11 the Connecticut senate passed Bill 178, which will require changes to the curriculum to include instruction on how to work with textured hair for barbers, cosmetologists, and hairdressers.
Senate Bill 178 received bipartisan support, and was introduced to the senate by the Public Health Committee. If passed into law it would require the Examining Board for Barbers, Hairdressers, and Cosmeticians, which issues the licenses hair care professionals need to operate in the state, to add additional training regarding how to style and care for hair types that are common for Black residents.
“This bill ensures Connecticut remains a leader in fostering a more inclusive beauty industry and guarantees that hair stylists are trained to care for hair that is coiled, curly, or wavy. I was proud to vote for this legislation and look forward to its final passage,” bill co-sponsor Senator Patricia Billie Miller of Stamford told CT News Junkie.
Carmen Veal Conway, the owner of Brown Skin Women, a Hartford-based studio specializing in textured hair told NBC Connecticut that she has a waitlist of almost 2,000 clients and welcomes the fact the bill will see more customers served.
“It’s this crucial lottery I feel, ‘Omg I got in,’ I get that a lot, people come in and say ‘I feel you are a celebrity,’ it shouldn’t feel that way because you were chosen or you just happen to get the email before someone else, because there aren’t enough people who can do what I do in the state,” Conway said to NBC Connecticut.
