Women sue Idaho over expensive hair-braiding license rules

The Associated Press ^ | March 9, 2022

[Oldeconomybuyer]

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Three Idaho women are suing the state in federal court over its expensive training requirement for professional hair-braiders.

The women, represented by the Institute for Justice, filed the lawsuit against the Idaho Barber and Cosmetology Services Licensing Board in Boise’s U.S. District Court on Tuesday, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Idaho is one of five states that still require cosmetology licenses for professional hair braiding. The licenses require 1,600 hours of training and can cost up to $20,000, even though cosmetology schools aren’t required to teach braiding techniques for naturally textured hair.

Scott Graf, spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, declined to comment on pending litigation.

The women who are bringing the lawsuit — Sonia Ekemon, Tedy Okech and Charlotte Amoussou — are all refugees from Africa and have more than 60 years of experience practicing African-style hair braiding between them, according to the Institute for Justice.

Ekemon, 40, learned to braid hair as a child while living in a refugee camp in Benin, a country in West Africa. She honed her skills over the years and eventually earned a professional hair-braiding license as a teenager before moving to the United States in 2000.

As an Idaho Central Credit Union employee, she thought offering her hair-braiding skills would be a good way to earn extra money — until she learned it was illegal.

[lastchance]

Plain old stupidity is the best kind of stupidity.