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By BWSTimes Staff
TULSA, Okla. — The protest continues months after a Black woman was physically assaulted by the owner of JUN’s beauty supply shop in Tulsa, OK on August 13.
Background
The Korean store owner, Changseok Jun, says he witnessed April Harding’s 3-year-old grab a key-chain off his store shelf worth 99 cents. Only Harding didn’t see her child innocently pocket the inexpensive item.
Jun followed Harding out of the store and questioned Harding. Harding responded with, “We never got out of the store with anything”. The situation escalated when Harding gave Jun ‘the hand’ while walking away visibly and seemingly by accident brushed Jun’s right shoulder.
Jun felt that was enough to send Harding, a mother, a manly blow to the mouth in front of the 3-year-old. The blow was enough for Harding to bleed. She later received stitches from the physical assault.
A spectator from the community caught Jun assaulting Harding on her phone.
Jun was only charged with a misdemeanor.
Community activist and leaders began protesting the next day and haven’t stopped since. Their mission was a collective boycott of Jun’s beauty supply shop in hopes of closing it for good — after all, there had been other floating stories in the community that Jun had assaulted Black shoppers in the past.
When Jun feared the protesters would cause his business sells to fall, he dropped his prices by 50 percent.
The Wakanda and Black Wall Street concepts flew out the door upon the announcement of Jun’s 50 percent off sell. Black people could be seen lined up out the door and down the sidewalk, seemingly dwindling any chance that the Black community would boycott the Koren owned store.
Latest Assault
The protestors have continued to encourage Black people not to shop at Jun’s, however, in spite of their efforts, Blacks in the community continue patronizing the Korean owned store causing friction within the Black community to the point of further violence.
A man, described as 6’5 with glasses and around 230 pounds, tried fighting protestor and community leader Alvin Muhammad. However, the unidentified man ended up losing the fight.
After the physical altercation, the man jumped into a green Ford F-150 and tried running Muhammad over — brushing him.
Muhammad was okay and said he will continue coming out to protest with the other activist in efforts to ignite a full communal boycott of JUN’s beauty supply shop now called QDL beauty supply shop.
“We aren’t going to be intimidated by those who don’t have a love for themselves (referring to the man that assaulted him) nor Black women” and “Because we feel that black women should be respected and black women should be protected.”
The protestors are encouraging members of the community to continue protesting JUN’s and to buy black.
They’ve provided a list of alternative Black owned beauty supply stores and contacts for those living in the Tulsa area to shop at:
- SaaJee Wigs Boutique, LLC 1717 N. Peoria Ave STE3 Tulsa, OK 74106 (539)-644-4460
- Tulsa Virgin Hair S. Sheridan Tulsa, OK 74119 (918)-288-0222
- N&T Beauty Supply 8270 E. 71st Street Tulsa, OK 74133 (539)-215-4620
- Mandy’s Beauty Supply 811 N. Wood Dr. Okmulgee, OK 74447 (918)-304-2170
- I’m Royalty Hair Collection Alrika Collins (918)-360-6958
- Sew Classy Hair Brie Wright (918)-237-0598
- Essence Beauty and Gifts 250 E. Pine St. Tulsa, OK 918-582-5853