South Fulton Zoning Letter

Awa Diagne, a single mother to a set of twins, moved to South Fulton in 2021. Shortly after, her husband passed away from COVID-19. Following the sudden loss of her husband, Awa decided to close her hair braiding business in downtown Atlanta that she had for 30 years and open a shop closer to her children. Awa found a storefront in a shopping plaza near her children’s school, signed a lease, and began refurbishing the space. But city officials may not let Awa open her hair braiding shop because they think it will create too much competition for neighboring businesses.

South Fulton’s City Council held a hearing on July 9 to determine if they should allow Awa to open. Two of the city council members made statements that they were hesitant to allow Awa to open because her business was similar to a nearby hair salon and beauty supply store. The other five city council members remained silent during the hearing.

Even though one nearby hair salon says it also offers braiding, it shouldn’t matter. The Georgia Supreme Court recently held in a case argued by the Institute for Justice (IJ) that it’s unconstitutional for the government to restrict a business simply to protect other businesses from competition. That’s why IJ sent a letter to city officials in South Fulton, Georgia, calling on them to allow Awa to open her African hair braiding shop. Denying Awa from opening her hair braiding business simply because it’s like other businesses would be irrational, and more importantly, unconstitutional.