Weaving It All Together: Hair, Health, Law & Policy—Drexel Law Review Symposium, Sept. 25–27, 2025

September 05, 2025

Weaving It All Together: Hair, Health, Law & Policy - September 25-27, 3320 Market St., Philadelphia

Hair is more than style. It’s tied to identity, health and justice—and tells stories of culture, resilience and struggle. The upcoming Drexel Law Review symposium will create space to bring these connections to the forefront.

“Weaving It All Together: Hair, Health, Law & Policy” will take place on September 25–27, 2025, at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, 3320 Market St, Philadelphia, PA. This event will be held in person only. Over three days, more than 50 participants—including academics from different disciplines, policymakers, health professionals, advocates and hair care professionals—will gather for 11 panel discussions. It will be the largest Drexel Law Review symposium to date and among the first in the country to explore these issues.

“This symposium reflects the values at the heart of our Center for Law, Policy and Social Action,” says Professor Wendy Greene, director of the Center and a leading international voice on hair discrimination law and policy. “It’s action-oriented, interdisciplinary, accessible and designed to inspire advocacy. I hope each participant leaves with an issue that resonates and a renewed understanding of how they can contribute to social justice movements.”

Learn more and register

Interdisciplinary, Justice-Oriented, Global

“Everyone can be an advocate,” Greene reminds. “When we bring diverse voices together, we create the conditions for transformative policy, legal and social change.”

That philosophy shaped the design of this gathering, bringing together law, health and community leaders to tackle questions about hair and health.

Professor Elizabeth R. Kukura, who co-developed the program with Greene, explains why this approach matters. “We can’t craft legal and policy frameworks that protect people’s health and well-being without understanding the underlying problems when it comes to hair. This requires conversations informed by science, history, public health, sociology and more.”

The event also reflects Greene’s role as director of the Center for Law, Policy and Social Action, a hub for public education and advocacy. And the reach goes beyond the U.S.—speakers will join from France, the United Kingdom and Australia. “Advocating across four continents, I’ve seen how hair connects to identity, culture, health and well-being,” she says. “It’s a universal language that resonates with communities worldwide.”

Program Highlights

Drexel Kline Intellectual Life Committee Workshop with Dr. Tamarra James-Todd: The symposium will begin with an opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kline Institute of Trial Advocacy, 1200 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. To kick off the symposium, Dr. James-Todd of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will share with the Drexel Kline Law faculty and Drexel University community members her pioneering research that is foundational to the Chemical Relaxer Litigation. Dr. James-Todd’s scholarship links toxic ingredients in hair products to the increased development of cancers, uterine fibroids and infertility amongst Black women. The reception is open to the Drexel community, symposium participants and attendees.
Keynote Address by Nebraska State Senator Ashlei Spivey: Spivey, founder of I Be Black Girl—the first and only reproductive justice organization in Nebraska—brings lived experience, legislative expertise and a deep commitment to equity. She illustrates how grassroots advocacy, coalition-building and lawmaking can work in tandem, offering a model of leadership focused on total well-being, which Greene notes is central to advancing justice. Under Spivey’s leadership, I Be Black Girl spearheaded the passage of two seminal pieces of civil rights legislation protecting people from race-based hair and appearance discrimination in Nebraska’s workplaces and schools. Professor Greene served as the legal expert for this legislation, and Drexel Kline Law students enrolled in her legislative practicum provided recommendations and relevant enforcement guidance.
Fireside Chat on Chemical Relaxer Litigation: Attorney Tom Kline of Kline & Specter will moderate a discussion with attorneys who are involved in groundbreaking litigation that seeks corporate redress for the disproportionate health impacts of hair products marketed to Black women and girls. The conversation will underscore both the need for industry accountability and legal regulation of personal care products in the United States.
Panel on Regulation and Health Equity: Professor Elizabeth R. Kukura will lead a conversation on the overdue need for oversight of hair products. She notes that the lack of regulation means many people, especially Black women, use products without knowing their risks—a disregard for both health and identity.
Panel on The Power of Natural Hair Care Professionals in Policy Making: Natasha Gaspard, founder of Mane Moves Media and chief empowerment officer of the Natural Hairstyle & Braid Coalition (NHBC), will moderate this panel featuring the NHBC’s co-founders and their legislative efforts to combat a growing movement to decrease or eliminate licensure requirements as well as safety and health inspections for natural hair braiders. The NHBC’s work demonstrates how community-driven advocacy can reshape laws and policies, embodying the symposium’s commitment to interdisciplinary and grassroots solutions.

Stories That Inspire

The program will also feature personal hair journeys told through lived experience, art and film. For example, breast cancer survivors will share the emotional and physical challenges of losing hair as they are undergoing chemotherapy. “Their journeys show that hair loss is not just physical or aesthetic but deeply emotional and psychological,” Greene says. “They highlight the critical role healthcare providers can play in not only restoring a patient’s physical and physiological health but also preserving their sense of dignity and identity by addressing hair loss and its impacts.”

Building on Momentum

Greene first published about hair and law in 2008, when the subject was often dismissed. Today, the urgency is undeniable. The passage of C.R.O.W.N. Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) legislation—which expands protections against race-based hair discrimination in workplaces and schools—in over half the states in the U.S., changes in military grooming policies, ongoing litigation over chemical relaxers and new scientific research all show how central hair is to identity, equity and health.

In April, Drexel Kline’s Center for Law, Policy & Social Action (CLPSA) and the Health Law Program/Vital Signs helped advance this conversation as co-sponsors of a public program for the United Nations, which Professor Greene co-developed and co-moderated. The event offered a global platform to explore the intersections of hair, health and justice. The recording is available here for those who want a preview of the types of conversations this symposium will continue.

Both Professor Greene and Dr. Tamarra James-Todd were featured in The New York Times in an article on the health harms of chemical relaxers and workplace norms that pressure Black women to straighten their hair. Their perspectives demonstrate how scholarship and advocacy are shaping broader public awareness.

Kukura hopes her panel pushes the conversation further. “I hope attendees will learn about the health impacts of hair products and come away thinking more critically about the role of regulation in advancing safety, health and well-being.”

From Conversation to Action

Greene hopes the gathering sparks not just reflection but also concrete steps—new research, partnerships, policy reforms and advocacy networks. She also credits the commitment of Drexel Law Review students, who’ve been instrumental in shaping and curating this program.

Molly Kernis, executive editor of symposium for Drexel Law Review, adds: “Hair is never just hair. It’s deeply connected to identity, opportunity, health and justice. This event creates space for meaningful dialogue while motivating action that extends beyond the symposium itself.”

“This is groundbreaking—the first symposium of its kind,” Greene reflects. “It’s exciting to see how a topic once dismissed is now recognized globally. And I’m proud of our students, whose dedication has been central to making this convening possible.”

How to Register

The symposium is open to the public. Registration is free for Drexel University students, faculty and staff, as well as full-time faculty from other colleges and universities (without CLE credit). Different registration options—including rates for attorneys, government and non-profit representatives, alumni and participants seeking CLE credit—range from $85 to $400 depending on the selection.