Fort Myers Salon Creates a Safe Space for Black Women with Natural Hair

Fort Myers, Florida. Learning the hairstyle is a certain curiosity, especially if you’ve been wearing it the same way for years.

La Toya Turner has been a hairdresser for over 15 years. She is the owner of Ascension Hair Care in Fort Myers. She says that now more than ever, women like Lakesha Allen Thomas are changing their hairstyle from casual and traditional to natural.

But some share concerns about making this change. “A lot of people just wanted to see what their texture looked like,” Turner says. “But they didn’t want to appear unprofessional in their workplace or be reprimanded for wearing cornrows or any sort of defensive hairstyle.”

A 2020 study by Michigan State University researchers found that black women with natural hair were perceived as less professional, less competent, and less likely to be recommended for interviews compared to black women who straightened their hair and white women with curly or curly hair. straight hair.

This is why there is a national initiative known as the Natural Hair Respectful and Open World Act, also known as the CROWN Act. Target? To protect against discrimination of hair textures and styles such as braids, curls, curls and knots in the workplace and public schools.

At the federal level, the bill passed in the House of Representatives last year, but not in the Senate. Fellow lawmakers are expected to try again this year. At the state level, 20 states voted yes. However, Florida lawmakers were not on board.

The bill has died twice in the Sunshine State, but was resubmitted this month. Opponents of the bill say they see other issues affecting the country as more important than discussing what constitutes professionalism in the workplace.

But for Toya and some of her clients, the question is simple… “Who determines what is professional?”