Nashville-based Shear Haven initiative sparks national interest in educating the industry

NASHVILLE, TN - Dec. 18, 2023 – Beauty industry professionals are often the first to see the signs of domestic abuse. They have a trusted, consistent relationship with their clients. At least three states - Tennessee, Arkansas, and Illinois - have passed laws requiring licensed beauty professionals and students to undergo domestic violence awareness training. On Dec. 14,  U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (TN) and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (IL) introduced federal legislation to encourage other states to pass similar legislation in an effort to find solutions to the crisis of domestic violence.

“This legislation will be a game-changer in the fight against domestic violence,” said YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee President and CEO Sharon K. Roberson. “We see every day at our Weaver Domestic Violence Center the devastating effects of abuse on women, children, and families. More people need to know about the signs and that there is help available.”

The proposed legislation is an innovative way to address the domestic violence epidemic plaguing communities across the U.S. One in four women and one in seven men will be a victim in their lifetime, and three women are murdered each day in the U.S. at the hands of an abuser. Blackburn and Duckworth’s bill S.3540 | SALONS Stories Act offers federal funding to states that pass legislation requiring domestic violence awareness education for individuals seeking licensure as a cosmetologist or barber. 

A new state law requiring domestic violence awareness education for beauty industry professionals in Tennessee was passed in 2021 following several years of advocacy efforts by YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee and volunteer Susanne Shepherd Post. Recent statistics from the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Board of Cosmetology show that 42,000 licensees and 8,400 initial licensees have taken domestic violence awareness training since the law took effect.

“I’m thrilled to see a bipartisan initiative on the national level that mirrors the cooperation we saw in Tennessee to help victims of domestic violence,” said Shepherd Post, salon owner, stylist, and co-founder of Shear Haven,YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee’s initiative dedicated to training beauty industry professionals on the signs of abuse and how to respond.  “By encouraging other states to focus on training beauty professionals, I know lives can be saved.”

Shepherd Post, a survivor of domestic violence, worked with YWCA  to create the Shear Haven initiative in 2017. The free online training was originally launched in October of 2020 - at the height of the pandemic.  A new Shear Haven website launched in July of 2023 and includes the training video and extensive resources.  To date, 110,000 professionals from more than 100 different countries have taken the Shear Haven training.

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