MORE
MORE ON
MORE ON THAT IN THE DAYS TO COME.
COME.
COME. TASHARA: ON THURSDAYS WE HAVE
THE EPISODES OF ROOTED.
24 YEARS AGO SHE WAS ARRESTED
AND JAILED FOR TEACHING WOMEN
HOW TO BRAID HERE IN TEXAS
WITHOUT A COSMETOLOGY LICENSE.
SHE HAS BEEN FIGHTING FOR THOSE
RIGHTS AND CONTINUE DOING SO
SINCE THAT HAPPENED UNTIL 2015
WHEN A FEDERAL JUDGE SAID THE
REQUIREMENTS BY THE STATE OF
TEXAS WERE UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
IN THIS SEGMENT, MEET THE WOMAN
WHO HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR
THOUSANDS TO BE ABLE TO PRACTICE
AND TEACH NATURAL HAIR RATING
WITHOUT A STATE-MAND+@ATED
LICENSE.
LICENSE.
LICENSE. ♪
♪
♪ SO
♪ SO I
♪ SO I HAVE MISSED ISIS BRANTLEY
HERE+@ WITH ME.
TELL EVERYBODY WHO YOU ARE AND
WHERE YOU ARE FROM AND TELL US
ABOUT WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT FOLKS
NEED TO +@KNOW ABOUT YOU.
ISIS: I AM FROM SOUTH DALLAS
PERIOD WAS RAISED BY A SINGLE
PARENT WHO WAS 14 WHEN +@SHE HAD
ME.
ME.
ME. I
ME. I CAME FROM A VERY LOW INCOME,
DISENFRANCHISED COMMUNITY BUT
WITH VERY HIGH MORALS AND VALUES
.
.
. IF
. IF YOU
. IF YOU RAN OUT OF EGGS YOU COULD
GO NEXT DOOR.
+@
+@ IF
+@ IF YOU
+@ IF YOU NEEDED SOMEBODY TO CORN
ROW YOUR HAIR YOU GOOD GO NEXT
DOOR.
DOOR.
DOOR. WE
DOOR. WE HELD ONTO SOMETHING VERY
STRONG IN OUR ROOTS AND IT WAS
OUR CULTURE.
OUR CULTURE. PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT I AM
ALSO A MOTHER OF FIVE CHILDREN
+@
ALSO A MOTHER OF FIVE CHILDREN AND I SINGLE-HANDEDLY RAISED
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. I
THEM. I STOOD ON THE FRONT LINE BY
MYSELF AND THAT CAME FROM WHO I
AM.
AM.
AM. TASHARA: EXPLAIN THE CASE AND
TELL FOLKS WHY YOU HAD TO STAND
UP DURING THAT TIME WHAT WAS
HAPPENING DURING THAT TIME AND
THE LOVE THAT WAS PASSED BECAUSE
OF THE WORK THAT YOU DID?
IRIS
OF THE WORK THAT YOU DID? IRIS: IT WAS ABOUT NOT BEING
ALLOWED TO BRAID WITHOUT A
COSMETOLOGY LICENSE.
COSMETOLOGY LICENSE. I WAS ARRESTED AFTER I HAD BEEN
B+@RAIDING HERE IN MY HOME FOR O
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. I
YEARS. I FINALLY OPENED UP THE
STOREFRONT AND WHEN I OPENED THE
STATE OF TEXAS CAME IN AND SAID
YOU CAN'T DO THIS.
THIS IS A+@GAINST OUR LAWS.
SEVEN CUPS CAME IN UNANNOUNCED
AND THEY CARTED ME OFF LIKE A
COMING MENTAL IN FRONT OF MY
CLIENTS AND MY COMMUNITY.
I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO
FIGHT AND STAND BECAUSE I DIDN'T
KNOW ANYTHING ELSE TO DO.
TASHARA: TELL +@ME ABOUT THE LAW
THAT PASSED.
THAT PASSED. IRIS:+@ WITH THE BACK AND FORTH
THEY DECIDED WE CAN'T FIND
ANYBODY TO TEACH YOU ANCESTRAL
RATING AT THIS TIME.
+@
RATING AT THIS TIME. A LOT OF PEOPLE WANTING TO LEARN
WERE UPSET BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN
GOING TO THE COSMETOLOGY SCHOOLS
THAT WERE MOSTLY EUROPEAN AND
THEY COULDN'T LEARN THE TWISTS
AND COILS AND TECHNIQUES THEY
WERE INTERESTED IN.
SO THEY STARTED FIGHTING BACK
WITH THE STATE AS WELL.
IN 2007 THEY DEC+@IDED WE CAN'T
FIN+@D ANYONE TO TE+@ACH YOU AND
YOU'VE ALREADY TRAINED OVER 1100
+@
YOU'VE ALREADY TRAINED OVER 1100 WOMEN AND SO THEY SAID WE WILL
GRANDFATHER YOU.
GRANDFATHER YOU. TASHARA: WHAT WAS THE SECOND LAW
PASSED?
PASSED?
PASSED? ISIS: THEY SAID YOU ARE
GRANDFATHER BUT YOU ABSENTLY
CANNOT TEACH BRAIDING BECAUSE IN
ORDER FOR YOU TO TEACH YOU HAVE
TO GO TO COLLEGE AND HAVE OVER
2500 HOURS AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE
THIS AND THAT.
I WAS STILL TEACHING AND SHARING
THE ART WITH THE COMMUNITY AND
SO THEY TOOK ME TO COURT AND
SAID YOU CAN'T DO THIS.
LUCKILY JUDGE SAM COOK'S RULED
IN COURT TH+@AT IT WAS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL TO STOP ME FROM
DOING SOMETHING THAT WAS OLDER
THAN HE WAS AND AT THE TIME HE
WAS 76.
WAS 76.
WAS 76. HE SAID THIS IS AN ANCIENT ART
FORM AND IT IS UNCONST+@ITUTIONL
TO DENY HER.
THAT WAS THE SECOND OF THE 20
YEAR BATTLE AND HE MADE ME
UNDERSTAND I+@ HAD A SOMETHING R
MY PEOPLE AND IT'S SOMETHING I
COULD SHARE AND A FORMULA THAT
WORKED.
WORKED.
WORKED. IT WAS MY MISSION AND I WAS
DETERMINED TO DO IT ON+@E FOLLIE
AT A TIME.