I don’t believe in luck. I believe in hard work. My work ethic has seen me through a lot of difficult circumstances.
My mother was killed by a drunk driver when I was 10. Since then, I have been on my own and working to support myself. When I was in the 12th grade, I took my younger brother and sister in and finished raising them. Due to the number of jobs I was working, I had to drop out of school and was never able to return.
I've worked many jobs throughout my life, but my passion is barbering. I taught myself the craft with a pair of old scissors my dad left behind, and I’ve been honing my skill set ever since. I love cutting hair and giving people a quality haircut that makes them feel more confident.
Last year, I was hired to work in a luxury shop in downtown Memphis doing what I love. This was especially timely because it happened right after I found out that my wife was expecting our first child. For awhile, I was able to provide for my family and prepare for our future. I had a good job that I actually enjoyed. I was building a large clientele, from ordinary working-class to members of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Unfortunately, I was unfamiliar with the large number of laws and regulations that govern the simple act of cutting hair. I bought a license from a friend "who knew a guy", unaware that obtaining a real license requires years of schooling, passing various exams and paying fees to the state Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners.
Early last year, a board inspector dropped by our shop, looked at my license and told me it was fake. I was fined $1,500 for cutting hair without a license. I could no longer work in my job. I was terrified.
My wife and I went to an administrative hearing in Nashville. I attempted to explain my mistake and asked what I needed to do to make it right. They told me I had to go to school to practice as a barber, but in order to do that I had to have a high school degree. I was fined an additional $600 for the courtroom fees. It was devastating. I felt like everything I had worked so hard for had been snatched from me in the blink of an eye.
All in all, the government has fined me $2,100 and taken away my ability to work as a barber to pay it off. I want to pay off my fees and fines and enroll in barbering school, but I cannot afford to go back to get my high school degree or GED. I shouldn’t even have to do that. What you learn in high school has no bearing on whether you will be a good barber. Besides, 37 states don't require would-be barbers to have a high school diploma, and 13 have no educational requirement at all.
I'm hopeful I can get back on my feet, make this right and pursue my dream of barbering and opening my own shop. The American Dream is about being able to work to make a better life for yourself and your family, and it is my dream that I will have that very opportunity.
I hope state legislators in Nashville will make it easier for people like me to earn an honest living, rather than make it harder to live the American Dream.
Elias Zarate Jr. lives in Memphis. The Beacon Center of Tennessee, on Zarate's behalf, has asked the state Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners to eliminate the high school completion requirement for barbers.