Latino Barbers Want Spanish Licensing Exam
BY:
Lucy Nalpathanchil Published: 01/26/2009
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Latino barbers in Waterbury worry they'll have to shut down

A Latino group in Waterbury wants the state to change a licensing law for hairdressers that requires them to be proficient in English.

Juan Rodriguez Torrent is Chairman of the Latino-American Chamber of Commerce in Waterbury. He says there are about one-hundred Latino barbers and hairdressers in the city who will be affected by a city inspections campaign beginning this summer. Businesses that are found to be without a current Connecticut license will be reported to the state.

But Rodriguez says the crackdown will shut down businesses and take away revenue from the city.

"Many of them have licenses from Rhode island, New York, Florida. So they're not just people from the street cutting hair. Some of them have 25 years of service."

He says these same barbers and hairdressers never got their license because Connecticut law requires them to pass a written exam that's offered in English only. If licensed in another country, the state Department of Health requires them to pass an English as a foreign language exam.

Rodriguez says Connecticut should offer a Spanish equivalent given the growing Latino population.

"The Latino community has many people who don't master English. I don't want to say they don't speak English or understand English, it's that they just don't feel comfortable in English."

While the Latino-American Chamber of Commerce works with State Rep. David Aldarondo and the Waterbury Mayor's office to get the state to offer a Spanish equivalent exam, the chamber is also starting an English course for the Latino barbers and hairdressers.

This isn't the first time the english only exam has come up for discussion. In 2003, State Rep Minnie Gonzalez proposed a bill that would require the state to offer spanish versions of the barber, hairdresser, and cosmetician licensing tests. The bill never made it out of the General Assembly's Public Health committee.

http://www.cpbn.org/article/latino-barb ... nsing-exam