Dr. Joanne Cornwell This is Me

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1. 1. www.theatlantavoice.com

   www.theatlantavoice.com/june/b - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/18/2008   Last Visited: 7/18/2008

   At a well-attended public reception and forum hosted by Atlanta Sisterlocks Meetup, Dr. JoAnne Cornwell declared, "Sisterlocks is not about a hairstyle: It's about a lifestyle!"and proceeded to conduct a program that entertained and informed attendees for nearly three hours. Dr. Cornwell shared poetry from a book she authored, hilarious personal business experiences related to hair and its care, and answered numerous questions about her unique haircare system that allows "people with tightly textured hair to take advantage of today's hairstyles without altering the hair's natural texture."
   
   By conducting a hands-on training workshop for new consultants she clearly showed that she has taken the "haircare baton" from historical entrepreneurs like Madame C.J. Walker and Marjorie Joyner, and gone on to greater heights. sisterlocksAlthough Dr. Cornwell chairs the Africana Studies Department at San Diego State University and teaches in the French Department, this enterprising woman was once termed a "Hair Bandit" before she took the lead in a highly publicized national debate over the appropriate training, certification or licensing for natural hair care practitioners.During this battle the practice of braiding, twisting, locking hair, so widespread in African American communities, was against the law in most states -- unless the practitioner had a license in cosmetology.Her successful California court decision in 1999 made life easier for natural hair braiders and locticians (hair locking specialists) throughout the nation and protected the cultural practice of "African hair braiding" from inappropriate tampering by insensitive government bureaucracy. Because the hairbraiding industry requires fairly little capital and modest training to get started, there is an unlimited potential for new entrepreneurs, a process which can create new jobs and entire new industries.Cornwell pointed out that "vast numbers of our women and men ‘made it over' because somebody in their household stood in the kitchen over somebody's hair."She added, "It's a shame we no longer own this industry!"
   ...
   Sisterlocks is a trademark company founded in 1993 by Dr. JoAnne Cornwell.

2. 2. www.sisterlocks.com

   www.sisterlocks.com/About_Sist - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/6/2008   Last Visited: 6/6/2008

   Sisterlocks Originator, Dr. Cornwell
   ...
   Sisterlocks is a trademark company founded in 1993 by Dr. JoAnne Cornwell.
   ...
   Dr. Cornwell has also produced a volume of poetry and commentary: All About Love ... . Currently, Dr. Cornwell is Editor-in-cheif of the Sisterlocks Lifestyle Journal.
   
   Sisterlocks has been featured in Essence magazine, Shop Talk (the premier trade magazine for Black hair care), Braids and Beauty, Black Elegance and Jet.
   
   Sisterlocks Founder, Dr. JoAnne Cornwell
   
   Dr. JoAnne Cornwell is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies and French at San Diego State University.She is also a third generation entrepreneur and beauty specialist.She has researched African descended cultures worldwide, and understands how deeply hair issues relate to cultural identity.This understanding was the driving force behind her decision to found her trademark company, Sisterlocks.
   
   Dr. Cornwell was born in Detroit, Michigan where she remained through high school.Her passion for hair care began at age 4 when she produced her first braided hairstyle in her own abundant, very kinky natural hair.From that point on, she just had to do it herself."I thought I knew what I was doing, and no one could meet up to my high, 4-year-old standards!"says Cornwell.By the time she was in college, she had become the person everyone else relied upon to do their perms, hot comb treatments, braiding and whatever else had to do with hair care.Her grandmother had been trained in the CJ Walker tradition, and a lot of what she learned as a child came from her.
   ...
   Dr. Cornwell adds with a touch of sarcasm, alluding to the fact that the majority of product lines geared toward African Americans, and the majority of beauty supply stores nationwide that carry those products, are owned by people other than African Americans.
   
   Today Dr. Cornwell is an active member of the American Hairbraiders and Natural Haircare Association.She lectures widely on topics related to cultural expression in Africa and in the African Diaspora
   
   Dr. Cornwell has appeared on numerous talk shows in the Southern California region, and has given interviews for a variety of radio stations, including the Longhorn Radio Network, a major syndicated network outreaching to African Americans nationwide.
   
   Natural Hair and the Law
   
   Dr. Cornwell is a Hair Bandit!
   
   Many are aware that the practice of braiding, twisting, locking the hair that is so widespread in African American communities, is against the law in most states.This is true unless, of course, the practitioner has a license in cosmetology.
   
   For over 2 ½ years, Dr. Cornwell participated in this highly publicized national debate over what might be appropriate training, certification or licensing for natural hair care practitioners.Most braiders and locticians (hair locking specialists) feel that existing cosmetology laws and practices, including curricula and testing, are inappropriate for what they do.There have been lawsuits over this in several states that have challenged or sought to change existing legislation, and several new precedents have already been set (for example, in Michigan, Maryland, Washington DC, Ohio and New York. )
   
   In 1997, Sisterlocks and the national association called the American Hairbraiders and Natural Haircare Association (AHNHA) filed a lawsuit against the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, charging that California law was unconstitutional because it did not conform to 14th amendment equal protection qualifications.Cornwell and AHNHA charged that there was no rational relationship between existing California legislation and the actual practice of natural hair care.The required 1600 hours of cosmetology training typically includes no training whatsoever in natural hair care.On August 18, 1999 a California Federal District Court judge ruled in favor of Dr. Cornwell's position, which represents the position of literally thousands of natural hair practitioner throughout the state.

3. 3. www.instituteforjustice.org

   www.instituteforjustice.org/ec - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/21/1998   Last Visited: 3/5/2007

   The plaintiffs, represented by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Justice, are the American Hairbraiding and Natural Haircare Association and Dr. JoAnne Cornwell, Chairwoman of the African American Studies Department at San Diego State University and owner of the Sisterlocks salon in San Diego.