Business
Hair braiding bill represents ‘new narrative’ at legislature
MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER — Minnesota’s record ethnic diversity at the State Capitol — including African American, Somali American, Asian American and Hispanic or Latino representation — has given legislators of color a boost when it comes to creating new perspectives on policy change.
Minnesota’s record ethnic diversity at the State Capitol — including African American, Somali American, Asian American and Hispanic or Latino representation — has given legislators of color a boost when it comes to creating new perspectives on policy change.
Local leaders like Rep. Rena Moran (DFL-Minneapolis) have hit the ground running, with 19 people of color in the House, in ensuring issues related to people of color are not only heard, but are addressed via legislation.
“When we are able to bring in our expertise and our experience to these conversations,” said Moran, “we begin to see policies that create different practices than what we have seen in the past.”
In February, she teamed with Sen. Jeff Hayden to introduce the African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionality Act (HF142) to help keep Black youth from being displaced from their homes due to racial bias.
“The number of our [African American] kids who have been removed from their homes and from their parents and not being placed with relatives and put in homes with strangers is alarming,” Moran told the MSR. “They are away from their communities, their schools, sometimes even their siblings. This has a huge impact on not only our community, but it has an impact on how our children are developing.
“They are not feeling connected to their community or loved,” continued Moran, “so they go into these new homes and it shows up in the school. And now they are being diagnosed or placed in special ed, getting medication, or are being funneled into the youth detention centers. We’re not recognizing their trauma. We’re not recognizing and valuing the family preservation — the foundation for us as Black people.”
She authored another bill (HF554) that was approved in April to help parents directly seek to re-establish parental rights and reduce barriers for parents who lost rights for non-egregious harm. “Kids should not be lingering in foster care, and the State should never be in the business of trying to raise our kids.”
Black hair economics
Now she’s taking on Black hair and entrepreneurship via a bill (HF140) to repeal cosmetology registration requirements for braiders. Hair braiding, an art that goes back thousands of years, has been a hot-button topic across the country. While most cosmetology programs don’t teach the skill, many states require a cosmetology license to legally practice it.
Those licensure requirements include upwards of 2,000 hours of education and thousands of dollars in fees to acquire. Women have been fined tens of thousands of dollars and even jailed for braiding without it. This has led to 26 states, North Dakota most recently, ending licensing requirements for hair braiders, according to the Institute for Justice.
While Minnesota has one of the more lenient requirements — 30 hours of service — Moran hopes to repeal yet another barrier for Black women to become entrepreneurs. “It’s not like Louisiana that requires 500 hours, but we want to make sure that we are not creating mandates that are getting in the way of Black women being business owners,” said Moran.
“And, we know that in the state of Minnesota, we have less women who are business owners. We also know Black women are making somewhere near 65 cents to the dollar, as compared to a White woman making 80 cents to the dollar of their White male counterpart, who is making the whole dollar.”
Braiding, Moran said, should be “a job creator for Black women.” Instead, “Having a policy in place that states you have to have so many hours of specialty licensing for hair braiders is just a job killer.”
“There is an extreme amount of fees,” she said, to obtain licensure. “It really is a barrier to women opening up a business. The more licensing, the more training hours that a state demands, the fewer braiders that we have.”
When asked about sanitation and health risks associated with hair styling, Moran said education shouldn’t be a prohibitive factor for licensure, noting it should be common practice. “It’s just a healthy thing to do to wash a comb before you use it on another person’s head or take note of a scalp issue. But that’s more of an educational piece that needs to take place,” she added. “There are ways to work with the [MN] Department of Health to get those basic type of safety criteria in place.”
She added that the biggest opposition, which she said has been minimal, has been centered on hair loss. “I have heard some women are losing the hair at the ends of their hair — around their edges. We know that does happen based on just the braiding, the texture of your hair, and how tight the braids can be,” Moran said. “But, is that something that needs to be regulated? I would say no.”
Amplifying POCI voices
Courtesy of WikipediaConversations around hair may not seem crucial to mainstream populations that aren’t faced with everyday policing of their hair. The racial disparities are prevalent — from workplace policies against hairstyles to school mandates that get both students and parents locked out of school doors.
Moran is enthused to not only talk about this and other issues related to people of color, but also to have support from within to push through such legislation.
“It’s really important for me and the People of Color Indigenous (POCI) Caucus here to bring the voices of our community into this body so that we are creating and educating our colleagues through a race-conscious lens around social, racial, economic and environmental justice issues,” said Moran.
“We don’t need [non-POCI] to talk to us about our community. We have enough [POCI] here that we can do that, too, and have you just support and help lead on it. So this is one of those bills. This is just one of many that we are trying to move through this body.”
She credits the community for helping get her AAFP act into committee hearings. “The community has just shown up in really good numbers, and they have lent their voices and their stories that have been so impactful. In the House of Representatives, they gave 134 legislators a new narrative to look at when they look at our families and what is happening and how disproportionately our kids are being really put down a more punitive track while White families are getting the support that they need to get their kids connected to their families.”
Moran said she looks forward to similar support via email and letters when the braid repeal comes forth. The bill, which has received bipartisan support, is currently waiting to go into conference committee. She explained that the bill was part of a larger bill that was vetoed last year, but she is confident it will pass this session.
“It’s so important that we are leading the narrative about what is important for our community. We want to be on the front end. We want to be about planning and navigating [our stories].”
This article originally appeared in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
Bay Area
COVID-19 Response Grant Program
The City of Union City will be issuing another round of its COVID-19 Response Grant Program. The program has distributed approximately $620,000 in grant funds and forgivable loans to the community to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and will distribute another $322,000 through this latest round of funding. The City will utilize federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and CARES Act funds.
The City of Union City will be issuing another round of its COVID-19 Response Grant Program. The program has distributed approximately $620,000 in grant funds and forgivable loans to the community to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and will distribute another $322,000 through this latest round of funding. The City will utilize federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and CARES Act funds.
Grants are available through the City’s Road to Recovery Small Business Assistance Program and the Residential Rental Assistance Program. The City began accepting applications on March 6, 2023, at 9 a.m. and will begin reviewing applications (up to 50 applications for each grant opportunity) submitted on or before March 30, 2023, at 5 p.m. The program information and the online application are available on the City’s website:
https://www.unioncity.org/548/COVID-19-Response-Grant-Program
The City will be holding two informational/technical assistance meetings to support residents and businesses with their applications and respond to any questions. These meetings will be streamed via Zoom. See below for meeting information and Zoom meeting links.
Tuesday, March 14, 2023: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
https://unioncity-org.zoom.us/j/89061570160
Wednesday, March 15, 2023: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Business
Popular Barbers Bring ‘Empire’ to Hercules
When he was a child, Drew DeGuzman said his parents couldn’t always afford to get his hair cut.“So, when I got a little older into my teens, I bought a cheap pair of clippers and started cutting my own hair and found out I had a real gift for it,” said DeGuzman, an Antioch native and 2004 graduate of De La Salle High School in Concord. DeGuzman started cutting his classmates’ hair, and also his Dad’s and brother’s. He cut hair on the weekends, and it was clear to him that this wasn’t just a hobby, but a career.
By Mike Kinney
When he was a child, Drew DeGuzman said his parents couldn’t always afford to get his hair cut.
“So, when I got a little older into my teens, I bought a cheap pair of clippers and started cutting my own hair and found out I had a real gift for it,” said DeGuzman, an Antioch native and 2004 graduate of De La Salle High School in Concord.
DeGuzman started cutting his classmates’ hair, and also his Dad’s and brother’s. He cut hair on the weekends, and it was clear to him that this wasn’t just a hobby, but a career.
In December 2020, DeGuzman, then 36 years old, alongside Richmond native Christian Chavez, 31, opened the Empire Barber Shop at 3700 San Pablo Ave. in Hercules. The pair had previously worked since 2015 at the Empire location inside the Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord before launching the Hercules site. The swift popularity of Empire’s new location in West County is connected to a longtime passion for craft.
“It feels really good to know that the community has embraced us, and they see the value that we bring,” DeGuzman said. “It feels great to see hard work pay off.”
Drew DeGuzman poses in front of his workstation. Photo courtesy of Empire Barbershop.
Empire partner Christian Chavez got his start at the shop where he once got his hair cut. Photo courtesy of Empire Barbershop.
Empire barbers keep up with trends and current styles for men’s grooming. Photo courtesy of Empire Barbershop.
Hard work at a young age is how Chavez found his calling. At that time, he’d get his haircuts at Adriana’s Beauty Salon in San Pablo, “right next to McDonald’s,” he said.
Chavez attended Leadership Public Schools in Richmond, which provided students a week where they could intern at a business. Adriana’s Beauty Salon hired him on as an intern to take on walk-ins. Once he got a hold of his own clippers, he started providing haircuts to his family.
“I just saw the clippers waving at me all the time,” he said. “I knew my calling was to become a professional barber and stylist.”
Empire specializes in modern men’s grooming and precision haircutting and styling. The shop additionally “stays true to our foundation in traditional barbering with an emphasis on classic hot towel shaves and service,” said DeGuzman.
The key to balancing a diversity of services with top-notch craft is ongoing education, he added.
“We have created a culture here where we want to continue to learn and seek new techniques and learn how to execute these evolving styles,” he said.
DeGuzman added, “We value professionalism and want the public to really feel welcome and respected when entering our shops.”
It’s not all work, no play for DeGuzman and Chavez.
“We are family guys,” DeGuzman said. “So we really enjoy spending time with our family and friends. “From taking advantage of the hiking trails on the waterfront, movies at the park, sporting events, and exploring all the awesome food spots our community has to offer.”
The pair also love to shop and eat locally, including at the nearby Target and Trader Joe’s, Pear Street Bistro, Leila by the Bay, Powder Keg, and “of course our neighbors at Sharetea and Kinder’s,” said DeGuzman.
Empire Barber Shop opens Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, contact (510) 243-5396.
Business
San Francisco Bank, Others Affected by Failure of Silicon Valley Bank
Another Bay Area bank was affected Monday by uncertainty in the financial markets following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank on Friday. Stock in San Francisco-based First Republic Bank sank nearly 62 percent Monday and shares of other regional banks suffered losses, reportedly. On Sunday, regulators seized Signature Bank in New York after it failed.
By Keith Burbank
Bay City News
Another Bay Area bank was affected Monday by uncertainty in the financial markets following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank on Friday.
Stock in San Francisco-based First Republic Bank sank nearly 62 percent Monday and shares of other regional banks suffered losses, reportedly.
On Sunday, regulators seized Signature Bank in New York after it failed.
But a San Jose State University professor of finance and accounting does not see the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank as signs of a coming crisis.
“I don’t think it is a huge contagion issue,” said assistant professor Matthew Faulkner. “It’s more toward an isolated incident.”
Over the weekend and Monday, top federal officials including President Joseph Biden appeared to be getting ahead of the issue.
Biden sought to ease American’s fears by making all deposits held by Silicon Valley Bank customers available regardless of the amount of their deposits, federal officials said over the weekend.
That includes businesses who must pay their employees and their bills, officials said.
“Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe,” Biden said Monday morning. “Your deposits will be there when you need them.”
Investors will not be protected, Biden said. According to the president, they took a risk and “that’s how capitalism works.”
Taxpayers will not be on the hook for the losses. Money to cover the losses will come from fees that banks pay into the deposit insurance fund, Biden said.
In California, state Treasurer Fiona Ma said Monday that her office has no exposure to Silicon Valley Bank and state and local government funds are safe.
Additionally, companies that did business with Silicon Valley Bank won’t have to pay any penalty if they must file their payroll taxes late, according to the California Employment Development Department, which collects payroll taxes.
Employers can request a waiver online at https://edd.ca.gov/en/payroll_taxes/e-Services_for_Business/ or in writing.
Silicon Valley Bank failed Friday after depositors and investors tried to withdraw $42 billion from the bank on Thursday. The bank had $175 billion in deposits at the end of last year. The withdrawals left the bank with a negative cash balance of nearly $1 billion Thursday.
Monday, First Republic Bank said it widened its financial position with liquidity from the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank and JP Morgan Chase and Co.
First Republic now has more than $70 billion to fund operations, the bank’s officials said. Additional liquidity is available through the Bank Term Funding Program, which the Federal Reserve announced Monday and ensures banks can meet the needs of their depositors.
“First Republic’s capital and liquidity positions are very strong, and its capital remains well above the regulatory threshold for well-capitalized banks,” said Jim Herbert, founder and executive chairman, and Mike Roffler, president and CEO, of First Republic Bank. “First Republic continues to fund loans, process transactions and fully serve the needs of clients.”
U.S. Senate hopeful Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, blamed the failure of Silicon Valley Bank on the rollback of federal financial regulations by former President Donald Trump.
“Federal oversight over large corporations and our economy is crucial and regulators must once again step in and ensure we do not repeat the mistakes made in 2008,” Lee said in a statement.
Silicon Valley Bank was the 16th largest bank in the United States as of March 10, Faulkner said.
Faulkner suggests depositors open another account, if they have one with more than $250,000 in it, to protect themselves.
Silicon Valley Bank was focused on serving startups, Faulkner said, which was probably part of the reason it failed. But Faulkner said the public only knows part of the story.
Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
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