South Fulton woman granted hair braiding business license after lawsuit

Editor’s note: The video above is from previous coverage.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – After months of legal battles, a woman will be able to open her hair braiding business in South Fulton.

Awa Diagne was denied a business permit in July after the South Fulton City Council was concerned her store would stifle the business of other local salons. But when she filed a lawsuit with the nonprofit law firm Institute for Justice in August, a Fulton County Superior Court judge found the denial to be unfounded and ordered the council to grant her permit.

“I am so grateful that I’m going to be allowed to open my braiding shop,” Diagne said. “It wasn’t easy to keep believing in my American dream, but I’m happy that I kept going, stood up for what is right, and won.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: No ruling made on South Fulton hair braiding business’ permit after city council denial

Diagne, who came to America from Senegal more than 30 years ago, moved to South Fulton with her husband and children in 2021. But the day after they settled into their new home, her husband was taken to the hospital with what would prove to be a deadly case of COVID-19, the Institute for Justice said.

Now a single mother, Diagne — who already owned a hair braiding business in downtown Atlanta — wanted to open a new shop in South Fulton to support her family. That’s when she was denied, deciding to fight the decision.

“Today’s ruling affirms that economic liberty is alive and well in Georgia,” Institute for Justice Senior Attorney Renée Flaherty said. “Last year, the Supreme Court of Georgia held that protecting one business from competition from another is not a legitimate reason to infringe on the right to earn a living. The City of South Fulton has been held accountable for ignoring the Court’s clear message.”

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