In Tennessee, barbers are trained to see domestic violence signs. Why not in all states?

I go to my barber at least once a month for a haircut. For about a half an hour, as I sit on the chair wrapped in a cape to keep hair clippings off my clothes, we chat about what is happening in the news and in our personal lives.

Outside of my marriage, it is one of the most consistent and intimate relationships in my life, and this is true for a lot of people, whether it is a barber, cosmetologist or aesthetician.

They see their clients, and sometimes they notice things that others may not pick up on.

That is why in Tennessee, to receive or renew their licenses, beauty professionals are required to take a course on domestic violence awareness to know the signs, learn to listen better and possibly help someone who is trying to leave an abusive relationship. This training, which is online, free and must be offered by a qualified nonprofit, affects 77,000 beauty professionals across the Volunteer State.

Tennessee, Illinois and Arkansas are the only three states to have this type of law on the books, but now a federal bill has been introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, to encourage every state to do the same.

This effort started with Susanne Shepherd Post, owner of Shine Salon in the Nashville area. She is a stylist and also a survivor of domestic violence.

“They took it (the training) because they had to and have had their eyes opened by how much they have seen the signs and didn't have a name to put on it,” Post said in a telephone conversation on Wednesday. “We are able to give language to beauty professionals. My dream is to spread it nationally.”

This is a story about a citizen taking action and lawmakers of both political parties setting aside their differences to take on a crisis on behalf of the common good.

Know the signs: How to be more aware of when a relationship can turn deadly

Shear Haven domestic violence awareness training is concise but comprehensive

Post co-founded Shear Haven, an initiative of the YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee in partnership with Barbicide, the maker of beauty and barber shop disinfectant products.

The YWCA reports that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men in the U.S. will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, more than half of crimes are domestic violence-related, and Tennessee ranks seventh among U.S. states in the nation for the number of women killed by men.

Post said she had never advocated for passing a law before, but then she was connected to Tennessee state Rep. Sam Whitson, R-Franklin, because she lives in his community.

While an early effort to pass the law failed, Whitson and state Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, wrote a guest opinion column in The Tennessean in 2020 vowing to bring it up the following year.

“It is time Tennessee takes action to address this violent crime and public health emergency,” they wrote.

In 2021, the bill, sponsored by Whitson and Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, R-Knoxville, passed unanimously in the state Senate and 89-1 in the state House. Gov. Bill Lee signed it into law in the spring and it went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

“It's not a mandated reporting of any kind,” said the local YWCA’s President and CEO Sharon K. Roberson. “This is giving them knowledge. If the need comes up, they can do a referral.”

The training takes about 20 minutes to watch the video and answer questions on a quiz to receive a certificate of completion.

At the suggestion of the YWCA, I took the training, which offered some excellent tips, among them:

• Believe your client

• Listen

• Don’t ask judgmental questions (i.e., “Why don’t you leave your partner?”)

• Be aware that when survivors choose to leave, it is the most dangerous time for them

The training also debunks myths about domestic violence, such, that alcohol or drug abuse are the causes or that it only occurs in low-income households.

On the video, Post answers the key questions about why beauty professionals should receive this training.

"Why us? We may be the only consistent relationship in their lives,” she said.

If you would like to view and take the training or download resources, go to shearhaventraining.org.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233 or via teletypewriter (TTY) for people with hearing and speech impairments at 1-800-787-3224.

Tennessee Voices: Replay special panel discussion on domestic violence

Legislation at the federal level would increase grant money to states that adopt the training

Post’s abuser, who is now deceased, was her husband, business partner and father of her child, and she shares that knowledge in the training and to elected officials.

“Being able to plug in my personal experience to this legislation is a change maker,” she said.

After the law passed in Tennessee, she started meeting with staff members of the state’s congressional delegation and found a willing ally in Blackburn, the state’s senior senator and the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee.

In December, Blackburn and Duckworth introduced their bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The measure is known as the SALONS Stories Act, or Supporting the Abused by Learning Options to Navigate Survivor Stories Act.

“There is no better community to recognize this abuse and help victims than beauty professionals,” Blackburn said in a news release. “Some women, even at their most vulnerable and isolated, will continue going to the salon and building relationships with their cosmetologists. This is a common-sense bipartisan bill to help equip cosmetologists with resources necessary to identify and support victims of domestic violence.”

If adopted, it would authorize the U.S. Justice Department to increase the amount in federal grants to combat domestic violence and help survivors to states that require free online or in-person domestic violence awareness training for barbers and cosmetologists.

2024 is expected to be bitterly partisan year with the upcoming presidential election, but this type of bipartisan measure, which addresses a public health emergency that affects people of all political backgrounds, would be a bright spot.

Congress should pass it and President Biden ought to sign it into law.

And Americans should be encouraged and inspired by citizens such as Susanne Shepherd Post who saw a problem and successfully fought for a solution – someone who didn’t just complain that “There ought to be law,” but actually worked to get one passed.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or find him on X at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Warning signs of abuse: Stylists, hairdressers, barber need training