The film Freedom Hair, based on the true story of a working mother whose decision to create her own business transformed a profession, will be shown at Hope College on Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland.

Hosted by the college’s Markets & Morality student organization, the screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Melony Armstrong, real-life protagonist of the film, and Joseph Corey, associate producer of Freedom Hair.

The public is invited. Admission and concessions are free. 

As dramatized in Freedom Hair, Melony Armstrong of Mississippi seeks to start a natural hair braiding business to achieve financial independence but encounters unexpected obstacles through state cosmetology regulations that create unrealistic requirements for a type of hair care that they weren’t developed to address. Armstrong was not only able to navigate the regulations to establish her own business but successfully lobbied the state to change the law, paving the way for other entrepreneurs to open salons of their own. Her efforts and advocacy have helped lead to change in other states as well.

Freedom Hair, released earlier this year, was named Best Feature Film in the 14th Charlotte Black Film Festival in addition to being named an official selection of several film festivals, including the American Black Film Festival; the Washington, D.C., International Film Festival; and the International Christian Film and Music Festival. It stars Simona Brown as Melony Armstrong, with the cast also including Jeremie Harris as her loving husband, Kevin, and Sophia Bush as Dana, a lawyer who helps her in the fight. 

Markets & Morality aims to support and celebrate freedom of expression in the context of the liberal arts by hosting speakers and films on topics spanning the economic, political and cultural aspects of human civilization, with a special concern for human flourishing as understood in Christian perspective.

This event is cosponsored by the Department of Economics and Business, the Department of Political Science and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.