I poke a little fun at barbershop conspiracies, but all jokes aside, I wouldn't sleep on barbershop spaces as places that could generate meaningful social change!!
Side note: I am primarily speaking of black barbershops. It's what I know, it's my experience and I cannot write authentically from any space outside of my experience.
Barbershops are the one place where young boys, teen boys, young, middle age, and older men, preachers and teachers, Muslims, Christians, agnostics, lawyers, cops, trash collectors, firefighters, football but not basketball enthusiasts, golfing but not swimming enthusiasts, Democrats and the others, students, professors, drunks, club hoppers, hip hop, classical, jazz, gospel, Philly beard or goatee jawns, bald, need-to-be-bald, landscaping, gardening, PhD, drop outs, GEDs, college, trade school, self taught, ex-offenders, and not-so-ex offenders, Eagles, Cowgirls, ALL types, shapes, sizes, and experiences, these guys all gather in the barbershop!
They don't all go to church, but they all go the barbershop!!
They all don't drink and club, but they all go to the barbershop!!
I believe political careers, visions for businesses, mentorship programs, little league teams, and other initiatives in the neighborhood and around the nation began as conversations in barbershops!!
Others are digging the whole barbershop scene as a place and space for change as evidenced by recent literacy initiatives.
Recognizing the potential of such an amalgam, people have taken strides to improve upon the literacy "situation" in our communities. From the barbers themselves to politicians, here are just a few:
In the Germantown section of Philly, Representative Rosita Youngblood started a #BookstoBarbers literacy campaign.
In New York...
Check out Barbershop Books @BarbershopBooks on twitter:
Tweets by @BarbershopBooks
In Iowa
http://www.today.com/news/meet-courtney-holmes-barber-who-gave-kids-free-haircuts-reading-t39116
No comments:
Post a Comment