She is best known for the pivotal role she played in assisting the United States (U.S.) Army and Navy with their review of hairstyle policies and regulations.

Ferrell stated in an exclusive interview with the Washington Post newspaper on September 17, 2020, that she left Rhode Island because of the police brutality she experienced at the age of 15.

[3] Days after graduating from Classical High School in 1977, Ferrell moved to Washington, DC, where she stayed with her uncle and attended the University of the District of Columbia to study Fashion and Business Marketing.

Uqdah, stated to a reporter in 1987, that their business was not driven by a desire to just make money but by the spirit of entrepreneurship and culture the company brought to the neighborhood.

On her second confrontation with the hotel, Tatum refused to take out her braids and Cornrows & Co. paid the attorney fees to file for a discrimination lawsuit.

As the issues surrounding this event grew, it caught the attention of Reverend Jesse Jackson during his run for the President of the United States in 1984.

On a podcast that aired July 17, 2017, under TEDTalks, Ferrell describes how she felt about being fired and how this motivated her to become an advocate for women who wore braids and natural hair in the workplace.

This system was used in the 2014 presentation to the U.S. Army and is now part of the Cornrows & Company collection in the National Museum of African-American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

The display is now part of the Cornrows & Company collection in the U.S. National Museum of African-American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

[6] The DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs amended wording in its regulation and created a separate license for braiders.

[9] Ferrell served as the expert witness in order to assist Isis Brantley in her fight with the State of Texas concerning braiding licenses.

Despite opposition on part of some council members, the CROWN Act, Bill 30–19, was revised on October 28, 2019, to include language that prohibited discrimination based on certain natural hairstyles.

[18] From the 1990s and forward, Ferrell continues to advocate that Hair Braiding businesses are exempt from state barber and cosmetology Acts.

Within some articles, she was asked to discuss current issues that involved natural hair care and styles: In the early 1990s, Ferrell was solicited by entertaining artist Diana Ross and TV filmmaker, Julie Dash for support in several television and film productions.