Wayne County Commission leaders opened Black History Month at the seat of county government with youth-led performances and a new push to confront toxic chemicals in beauty products that are heavily marketed to Black women.
The Commission’s public observance took place during the regular Wayne County Commission meeting on Wednesday morning, Feb. 5, 2026. inside the Guardian Building in downtown Detroit. Commissioner Angelique Peterson-Mayberry (District 5) hosted the program, which featured nearly 20 students from the Detroit School of Artsperforming tributes through music, poetry and dance.
Commission Chairwoman Alisha Bell said the Commission intentionally centered young people to set the tone for the month.
“Black History Month invites us to honor the past while investing in the future,” Bell said. “Commissioner Peterson-Mayberry brings a deep commitment to culture, education, and community, and I wanted this year’s celebration to reflect that spirit while centering the next generation.”
Alongside the cultural program, the Commission introduced a public health and consumer safety resolution titled “Our Hair, Our Health.” The resolution reaffirms the Commission’s stated commitment to racial equity by addressing toxic chemicals and carcinogens found in certain hair products that are disproportionately marketed to Black women and women of color.
“The Wayne County Commission has a responsibility to protect the health of our residents, especially when preventable risks disproportionately affect Black women,” Bell said. “This resolution reflects our commitment to consumer safety, public health equity, and ensuring that products sold in our communities meet standards that do not compromise long-term health.”
The resolution points to a growing body of public health research and community advocacy raising concerns about harmful ingredients in some haircare and synthetic-braiding products. In the Commission’s framing, those ingredients include known or suspected carcinogens and chemicals associated with hormonal disruption, reproductive harm, and increased cancer risk.
Research has repeatedly found that hair products marketed to Black women carry a heavier chemical burden than products marketed to white women. One widely cited analysis linked to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reporting found about 50% of hair products marketed to Black women contained endocrine-disrupting chemicals, compared with about 7% of products marketed to white women — a gap tied to ingredients such as parabens and phthalates that can interfere with hormones. Separately, a 2025 Environmental Working Group (EWG) review of 4,011 personal care products marketed to Black women found only 21% rated “low hazard” in EWG’s Skin Deep database, while nearly 80% were rated moderate to high hazard, underscoring how “targeted” marketing can also mean targeted exposure.
For Black women, the issue sits at the intersection of culture, labor, and health. Hair care is not a niche topic in Black communities. It impacts daily life, workplace experiences, school policies, and personal identity. The Commission’s action signals that the county is treating the products sold and marketed in Black neighborhoods as a public health matter worthy of government attention, not an individual consumer problem to shoulder alone.
The “Our Hair, Our Health” resolution also arrives during a period when Black women nationwide have been pressing for stronger oversight of personal care products and clearer accountability across the supply chain — from manufacturers to distributors to retailers. Locally, it places Wayne County’s governing body on record recognizing that beauty standards and beauty markets can carry consequences, especially when regulation lags behind what consumers and advocates have flagged for years.
The Commission has not announced enforcement mechanisms as of now, yet the move sets up a public pathway for additional steps, including county advocacy to state and federal regulators, consumer education efforts, and partnerships with public health voices and community organizations.
The Feb. 5 meeting served as a reminder of what Black History Month can hold when government does more than issue proclamations.
Youth walked into the Guardian Building and performed Black history as living art. Elected officials used the same meeting to introduce a policy response to a health concern rooted in the everyday reality of Black women. Both actions, taken together, put culture and safety in the same sentence—and in the same room.
