ARLINGTON, Va.—Saturday, April 19, marks 20 years since Mississippi enacted hair braiding licensing reform, untangling needlessly burdensome rules that blocked thousands of Mississippians from pursuing careers as natural hair braiders and opening small businesses. This milestone was made possible by Melony Armstrong, who, with the Institute for Justice (IJ), challenged the state’s unconstitutional licensing requirements that protected the cosmetology industry at the expense of aspiring entrepreneurs.
“It was a dream come true when I was finally given the freedom to expand my natural hair care salon in 2005. Now, 20 years later, thousands of Mississippians have been able to realize that same dream,” Melony said. “I will be forever grateful that my case helped create that change.”
Melony is a natural hair braider from Tupelo, Mississippi. She founded Naturally Speaking, Tupelo’s only salon of its kind. After teaching herself to braid, she sought to run a legal business and help others do the same. But, in 2004, Mississippi required Melony to take 3,200 hours of unrelated wigology training to teach braiding. To start braiding professionally, Melony had already completed 300 hours of wigology training—none of which taught anything about African hair braiding. These irrational requirements made it nearly impossible for Melony and others to pursue their careers. In 2004, Melony and IJ sued the state.
Prompted by the lawsuit, the Mississippi Legislature introduced reforms that replaced these burdensome requirements with a simple $25 registration fee, basic health guidelines, and a sanitation self-test. Lawmakers from both parties supported the measures, recognizing that the old rules stifled opportunity and had little to do with public safety. Finally, on April 19, 2005, former Gov. Haley Barbour signed the legislation—freeing Melony and others to legally grow their businesses and pass on their skills without unnecessary barriers. As of 2022, more than 6,700 braiders benefited as a result.
“Mississippi did the right thing here. By removing just one legal barrier, it created opportunities for thousands of people to go into business,” said Dana Berliner, who represented Melony in 2004, and is now IJ’s senior vice president and litigation director. “Most states have removed barriers to hair braiding, but there are hundreds of other businesses where a similar small change could make a big difference in many people’s lives.”
Melony’s fight, and ultimate victory, inspired the 2024 feature film, Freedom Hair. Based on real events, the movie tells the story of Melony’s journey as she stood up to the state of Mississippi and the cosmetology cartel that were preventing her from legally practicing and teaching African hair braiding. Her fight goes on to become a landmark case for economic liberty and cultural expression. Featuring actors such as Sophia Bush and Donna Biscoe, the movie is available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, and other streaming platforms.
“Melony’s efforts to untangle the unnecessary bureaucracy standing in her path has led to thousands of African American women following in her footsteps and realizing their own entrepreneurial dreams,” said Rob Pflatzgraff, president of the Moving Picture Institute and producer of the MPI Original film Freedom Hair. “We were incredibly inspired by her story of resilience, faith, and family, which has been resonating with and inspiring audiences around the world since the release of Freedom Hair.”
Freedom Hair is the second feature film inspired by IJ’s work. The 2017 film Little Pink House was based on the true story of IJ client Susette Kelo, who fought all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court to stop her town of New London, Connecticut, from seizing her home and neighborhood through eminent domain for a private developer who planned to demolish it all. “Little Pink House” is available to stream on Peacock.