Modern-Day Slavery at Hair Braiding Salons Driven By Greed

A New Jersey man from the West African nation of Togo is behind bars after forcing at least 20 women to work without pay in hair braiding salons. According to the Associated Press, 47-year-old Lassissi Afolabi, a citizen of the Togolese Republic, was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison after he admitted to smuggling Togolese women and girls into the U.S. from 2002 through 2007 and making the young women, in effect, modern day slaves at hair salons throughout Newark and East Orange, NJ.

The Star Ledger reported that the women suffered beatings, psychological torture and sexual abuse. A federal judge in Newark described Afolabi's crimes as "horrific" and ordered him to also repay his victims $3.9 million in restitution.

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Black Hairstyles Through the Years

The Shag: The 1980s
We all sang the line "in my younger days I used to sport a shaaaaag?" The Pharcyde remembers and so do we! The uber-retro Kanye West even brought back the "black man's mullet" this year. Oh yes.

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Black Hairstyles Through the Years

Wigs: The 1960s
The Supremes must have had a ball dressing in the latest fashions AND hottest hairstyles every time they stepped outside the door. They all wore top-of-the-line wigs, which gave them a different look every night.

Black Hairstyles Through the Years

The Afro: The 1970s
Angela Davis was the poster child for the Afro during the late '60s and '70s with a this perfectly coiffed orb o' hair. Davis said she had to put Tide detergent in hers to make it stand up just so. Afro pick!

Black Hairstyles Through the Years

The Flip: The 1970s
Natalie Cole is the perfect representation of the '70s here with the flip -- hair curled upward in layers made most popular by actress Farrah Fawcett. Her gold hoops and wide collar cement the look.

Black Hairstyles Through the Years

The Jheri Curl: The 1980s
Who could even think about the '80s without thoughts -- or shudders -- of the ubiquitous jheri curl? Everybody had a curl back then and the jokes about activator on pillowcases lasted much longer than the hairstyle ever did. Soooooooul Glow!

Black Hairstyles Through the Years

The High Top Fade or Box: The 1980s
With the rise of hip-hop in the mid-to-late '80s, a hairstyle rose right along with it -- the high top fade. Hair is shaped into a box shape (of varying heights) and the sides are gradually "faded" down. Will Smith was a man of the day.

Black Hairstyles Through the Years

Razor Cuts: The 1980s
Later in the '80s, the high top fade morphed into the skyscraper with accents cut in with a razor. By the end of this fad, people had faces, names and designs in their hair and eyebrows. Rapper Big Daddy Kane keeps his crispy fresh with a barber on staff.

Black Hairstyles Through the Years

Waves: The 1980s
Waves, such as the ones Tracy Morgan sports here, reached their peak in the '80s. The effect is gotten from grease, water, a brush and a doo-rag or scarf to lay the hair down in a pattern. If your hair was not naturally curly, Nu Nile or S-Curl was the way to go.

Black Hairstyles Through the Years

Fingerwaves: The 1980s
Fingerwaves, worn here by Keyshia Cole, were actually a reprise of yet another era -- the 1920s. This flat, to-your-head style, tended to be hard to the touch. Helmet city!

Black Hairstyles Through the Years

The Asymmetric: The 1980s
This hairstyle ruled the late '80s. Salt 'n' Pepa bust out with it in the 'Push It' video, and they pushed it to us in different colors even. Best. Hairstyle. Ever. Oooh baby baby!

Black Hairstyles Through the Years

But Afolabi didn't act alone; he had help. His ex wife, Akouavi Kpade Afolabi, and her son were also convicted in the scheme. The former wife will be sentenced in September for her wrongdoing; her son has been given 55 months prison time. The trio snuck the women into the U.S. using fake visas, authorities said.

I imagine that wasn't the only fraud used in this scam. Afolabi and his partners in crime probably wooed those unsuspecting women with promises of money and a shot at the good life in America. One can only imagine how that American Dream turned into a nightmare for the women who were forced to toil long hours day after day -- only to get abused physically, emotionally and financially.

Ironically, from the 16th to the 18th century, when Europeans came to Africa's shores searching for slaves, Togo and the neighboring region were such hotbeds of slave trading that the area earned the nickname "The Slave Coast ." Sadly, this case shows that slavery apparently remains an issue for both Togo and the United States. Although slavery has long since been outlawed in America, human rights groups say that the heinous practice of slavery nevertheless still exists in the shadows. Perhaps that's because, no matter where you go worldwide, some people are so greedy and unfeeling that they'll do anything for a buck.

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Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, an award-winning financial news journalist and former Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, has been featured in the Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times, as well as magazines ranging from Essence and Redbook to Black Enterprise and Smart Money. Check out her New York Times best seller 'Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom.'