ABOUT THE BLACK HAIR SOCIETY

Our Story

The Black Hair Society (TBHS) is a social and legal voice for Afro textured, kinky and curly hair textures in the UK.

We are committed to ending the discrimination and less favourable treatment experienced by all people who share these characteristics.

Our goal is to empower, educate and to increase the positive representation of afro hair in society, whether this be though enhancing society’s understanding of afro-hair, breaking down barriers to equal treatment in the access to hair care products, challenging discrimination and bias in education and the workplace- we seek to be a voice of change.

We conduct research, provide educational resources, can support and assist in sign posting victims of discrimination and are a networking point for those who wish to access other organisations and projects also seeking to eliminate afro hair bias. Supporting us is one way of supporting change.

We believe that knowledge is power and through increasing society’s understanding of afro textured hair we will help eliminate discrimination and bias.

Get in touch to learn more about us and how to join our community.

Meet The Team

Director

Sabina Harris-Hercules

Sabina Harris-Hercules is the proprietor of Harmony Hair and Beauty Salon, a Cambridge based hair salon established in November 2002. Harmony Hair is the longest serving Afro hair salon in Cambridge. It is the first to have reached a mile-stone longevity in years and has been in business for over 20 years. As the proprietor, she has gained a wealth of experience in Afro hair textures and has effectively managed the ins and outs of running a hair salon. The duties and responsibilities as a salon owner has encompassed many different aspects that range from customer service, to technical expertise and product knowledge. In addition to running the business, she served a hair stylist apprenticeship for 5 years before becoming a senior hair stylist.

Sabina Harris-Hercules is also a lawyer by profession and has run her own human rights legal practice since 2007. She is also a member of the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and has a master’s in law (Solicitors Practice).

During her years as a hair stylist, customers shared stories about their experiences of being discriminated in schools and at work because of their hair type. She also faced operational problems as the proprietor of a hair salon in assessing trainees with the expertise and qualifications to meet the demands of the black salon industry.

Combining her knowledge and experience of the black hair industry as a proprietor of a hair salon and Afro hair stylist together with her legal knowledge as a human right lawyer, the concept of The Black Hair Society was formed with the view that Afro hair deserves equal status with other types of hair. The view is also taken that qualifications should be gained and assessable to all persons interested in learning about Afro hair.

The Society aims to make Afro, mixed race and curly hair more inclusive in the main stream hair industry by creating training programs and promoting research to influence policy towards these hair types. TBHS aims to transform attitudes towards Afro, mixed race and curly hair types by promoting better understanding, whilst carving the way forward for hair discrimination to be an experience of the past.

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Legal Researcher

Dr Emmanuel Obikwu

Experienced PhD (law) graduate with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Microsoft Word, Editing, Public Speaking, and Legal Writing including th publication of law books and articles in peer reviewed journals . His Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) completed in Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge campus. It focused on International Law specifically Human Rights and its application to indigenous minorities.

Emmanuel holds several degrees from universities in the United Kingdom and Nigeria: the B.A. (honours) in History (University of Lagos), LL.B. (honours) (University of Lagos), M.A., Social Legal Studies (University of Sheffield), LL.M., International Legal Studies (University of East London) and is a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He is qualified to teach having been awarded a Further and Adult Education Teachers Certificate and the Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certificate.

As a legal practitioner he has gained valuable experience as an advocate before the Child Support, Social Security and Tax Tribunals (First Tier) representing vulnerable clients (on a pro bono basis) across Cambridgeshire. He distinguished himself in an outstanding case conducted before the Employment Tribunal in Bury Saint Edmunds in East Anglia which was reported in the UK press and on-line.

As a tutor he has worked in various Further and Higher Education Colleges as well as Universities in England such as Barnet College, Middlesex University and Farnborough College of Technology as a Visiting Law Lecturer. In 2015 he was appointed Director of Studies at Cornerstone College Cambridge. His role combined managerial, welfare and operational duties. He is now engaged in authoring books.