It’s no secret that black hair and beauty is big business. But exactly who stands to profit from that business is a topic that is often fraught and complicated in many black communities.

The influx of Korean-owned beauty supply stores, which started in the 1970’s, has been an ongoing source of tension between many African Americans. A 2006 documentary by filmmaker and journalist Aron Ranen, which highlighted Koreans’ dominance within the black beauty market, even spurred many black women to boycott Korean-owned stores in favor of seeking out black-owned stores.

Still, black beauty supply entrepreneurs struggle to run their businesses, in an industry where most of the supply chains are still controlled by Korean owners. Over the years, many black owners have shared their experiences of being shut out by Korean suppliers. Organizations like the Black Owned Beauty Supply Association (B.O.B.S.A.) bring attention to this issue and have even created support networks to help black beauty entrepreneurs succeed.

Community activists are speaking out in support of black beauty supply entrepreneurs. Members of the Waxahachie Study Group, an organization comprised of followers of Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Justice or Else Movement, recently demonstrated in front of a Texas beauty supply store owned by a Korean man. The protestors discouraged potential customers from walking into the store, and distributed lists of black-owned stores that they could patronize instead. The Korean owner eventually called the police on the protestors. Officers determined that the activists weren’t doing anything wrong.

h/t Hello Beautiful.