In Mississippi Mighty Melony Makes Positive Change on Occupational Licensing

In Mississippi there was a David meets Goliath story. Melony Armstrong, small business owner, takes on big government.

Melony is an entrepreneur and found her calling and a way to serve her community through the art of hair braiding. The obstacle in the way of her calling ? Occupational licensing.

The Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology mandated entrepreneurial hair braiders like Melony to get an unnecessary license that required several thousand hours of state sanctioned cosmetology training and costs upwards of $10,000. To make matters worse, the cosmetology training typically does not include any education in the art of African hair braiding.

Melony says occupational licensing is “a permission slip from the gov to get to work.” And tragically, Melony shares, “It keeps people in a place of poverty. It keeps people in a place of not being able to leave a legacy for their children. And it keeps people in a place of just being hopeless.”

Melony equipped by our sister organization, Americans for Prosperity, went to work to remove this unjust barrier to economic progress and change the law.  In April 2005, Mississippi Governor signed legislation exempting hair braiders from the burdensome, unrelated occupational license.

The day the law changed in Mississippi, 300 ladies in the state registered as hair braiders. Over 15 years later more than 6,500 entrepreneurs are practicing the art and service of hair braining in Mississippi and pursing their American Dream. See? When governmental barriers are removed, it’s working.