The Black Informant

Taking back the Black hair care industry

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Aron Ranen via e-mail. If the name does not ring a bell then perhaps you have seen his documentary on the state of the Black hair care industry either here or somewhere else on the net. Apparently he found a post I did on the same topic (”Are they taking over or did we give them the keys“) and like what he read. He, along with some other folks within the industry have been working for some time now putting together the Black Beauty Supply Association. The main goal of this association is to regain much of the position in the Black hair industry that has been lost over the years.

Last week they had a phone conference for folks who wanted to either join or just find out more about the association. Today they are scheduled to be on The Michael Baisden Show.

If you have the time today, check out the radio show and pass on any ideas you may have for Aron and the BBSA.

In the meantime, here is the blueprint of the association. Link to their website is at the bottom of this post.
If you have not seen any of Aron’s documentaries, click on the ‘Research’ button on the top of this page and scroll down towards the bottom. You should find a link to all of them.

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A BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGING THE BLACK HAIR INDUSTRY, ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME

BBSA

BBSA is the Black Beauty Supply Association, dedicated to helping African-Americans regain ownership of the Black Hair industry businesses. Primarily Koreans control this $4 billion dollar industry, once dominated by African-Americans. They’ve come into our neighborhoods and now sell products for our hair to us, while disrespecting us as customers.

If anyone doubts the seriousness of the current situation, you need only look at two videos that show in vivid detail who owns the industry. The video is the result of extensive research by Aron Ranen, both in the U.S. and London, England. The exact same situation exists in both locations – The Black Hair industry is being run by other than African-Americans. In the U.S., it is the Koreans. In London, owners are primarily East Indian. See what’s going on in the U.S. here, and in London here.

It’s time to take action.

BBSA’s first goal is to educate people about the potential for hope and prosperity through the creation of a network of Black owned beauty supply stores. Some have stated a goal of opening 100 stores in 100 days; that isn’t going to happen by itself. They have to be funded. We don’t expect a knight in shining armor to come through the door and turn back the clock. BBSA’s aim is to organize people within communities across American so that the goal of re-gaining control of the industry – including owning 100 stores in 100 days, ultimately becomes a reality.

There is no cost to join BBSA. This is a Micro-Economic grass-roots Civil Rights movement. We aim to help communities All across the U.S. to take back the business set up by Madame C. J. Walker so many years ago.

Our plan is simple. Right now beauty salon and barbershop owners around the U.S. are separated from each other. Each suffers ins silence, alone. BBSA is changing that through a common database that brings people together by community, state, and nationally through a shared database.

The BBSA Plan

Like all grass roots programs, our success depends on action by the masses. Communities are made up of people, most of whom have a vested interest in taking back control of the community’s businesses. The Black Hair industry serves only African American people, so it is logical to tackle this area.

The BBSA Plan suggests that hair salon owners in each community set up a chapter of BBSA. Each chapter can locate a one or two empty storefronts for rent in a high traffic area in their community. This will be the location of their chapter’s first store.

The chapter then will seek out investors, and or non-profit organizations to invest and open up this store, and perhaps others. It can be owned by a group as a coop or by one person/investment group. Instructions on how to open a beauty supply store are laid out in this book by Devin Robinson http://www.takingitbackblack.com/

Teenagers and Church groups should be encouraged to help get the building ready for business by sprucing it up with paint and other repairs a community symbol of hope and things to come. The local Media should also be invited.

Once the store is open there should be a community wide boycott of non-black owned beauty supply stores, shifting traffic to the African American stores.

Existing Black Owned stores should be invited to be part of BBSA.

A series of regional Wholesalers will be encouraged to start businesses to supply these new community beauty supply stores. The BBSA member stores can use group purchase power in order to get lower prices, thus competing with larger, chain stores.

We are creating an Internet marketplace an the BBSA website, complete with access to consultants, product manufacturers, and others who can provide assistance to the newly minted stores. We will also encourage experienced beauty supply storeowners to offer free advice and direction.

In order to get the process moving quickly, we ask that you join BBSA (remember, its free). We will use the data to subdivide the membership into viable communities throughout the U.S. We’ll provide each member with the list in their community; each will also have access to the national database of members and experts.

Our electronic newsletter will keep members up to date with the latest information about the Black Hair business. We encourage you to print the newsletter and circulate it within your community to those who don’t have Internet access. It will take everyone to make this happen.

Action plan summary:

CREATE BBSA Chapters on-line
EDUCATE the community
IDENTIFY locations for potential stores
LOCATE capital to open these stores
PUBLICIZE the movement
BOYCOTT the non-black stores
WIN back the business started by Madame C. J Walker.

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The Black Hair Project [Link]
Black Beauty Supply Association [Link]