thought members here might be interested in this article.
hiistory of black barbershops
- Thread starter midniterambler
- Start date
Thanks for sharing. As a historian, I found this fascinating.
Interesting read. Never realized that black barbers catered to white patrons.
That's a great article. Thanks for the link. Very informative.
- Thread starter
- #5
glad you guys enjoyed reading this little slice of history as much as i did. relates shaving, barbering to black culture many of us would have had no insight into.
Very informative, thanks for sharing.
Great read. Thanks for sharing!
Great post,great article...I just bought a book called "Vanishing American Barbershop" (used,Amazon,$12 ) and thankfully they had a few photos and some history of Americas African-American tonsorial parlors..
Outstanding article!
As a black man, I can identify with so many of the things written. The culture found within the black barbershop has a uniqueness unto itself. The lessons learned, knowledge passed on, and stories I have heard while sitting in the barber shop could fill theaters for years to come. As a young boy a lot of what I learned about talking to, approaching and treating women came from the barber shop. That includes the gentlemanly and not so gentlemanly things. I remember an instance when on my way to get a cut, I argued with my parents before leaving. By the time I arrived at the barber I was seeing red, what came to me while talking with other there, is that my parents may not always be right but they are looking out for my best interest. I was able to then go home and talk with them without being the hot headed militant teenager. Life decisions have been hashed out in barber shops; it is truly a place where we would go discuss everything.
When I graduated college and moved to Michigan, I would go home at least once a month to get a haircut. There is not a doubt there were capable barbers in Michigan but I did not trust them cutting my hair properly. Now "breaking-up" with a barber could be one of the hardest things on planet earth to do. It is generally a long time coming with it getting really difficult when it comes time for the "I moving on" talk with him. Fortunately, I've only had to do it once. Having lived in the Seattle area for almost 12 years with the same barber for about 9 of them. Even now that I have dreads I still drive 40 miles one-way just for a line every few weeks.
What I really find fascinating about this article is how the black barber and barber shop evolved. The laws that were put in place hold these skilled men back and prevent them from advancing their social status. It sometimes fails me that racism has and does bleed into everything. I had been looking for old photos or ads of black barbers/barbershops but could not find any. This article has shed a lot of light on why there are few if any. It also opens another door to America's shady past. I am going to stop writing now before I can not hold on to my gentlemanly restraint.
Again great find!
As a black man, I can identify with so many of the things written. The culture found within the black barbershop has a uniqueness unto itself. The lessons learned, knowledge passed on, and stories I have heard while sitting in the barber shop could fill theaters for years to come. As a young boy a lot of what I learned about talking to, approaching and treating women came from the barber shop. That includes the gentlemanly and not so gentlemanly things. I remember an instance when on my way to get a cut, I argued with my parents before leaving. By the time I arrived at the barber I was seeing red, what came to me while talking with other there, is that my parents may not always be right but they are looking out for my best interest. I was able to then go home and talk with them without being the hot headed militant teenager. Life decisions have been hashed out in barber shops; it is truly a place where we would go discuss everything.
When I graduated college and moved to Michigan, I would go home at least once a month to get a haircut. There is not a doubt there were capable barbers in Michigan but I did not trust them cutting my hair properly. Now "breaking-up" with a barber could be one of the hardest things on planet earth to do. It is generally a long time coming with it getting really difficult when it comes time for the "I moving on" talk with him. Fortunately, I've only had to do it once. Having lived in the Seattle area for almost 12 years with the same barber for about 9 of them. Even now that I have dreads I still drive 40 miles one-way just for a line every few weeks.
What I really find fascinating about this article is how the black barber and barber shop evolved. The laws that were put in place hold these skilled men back and prevent them from advancing their social status. It sometimes fails me that racism has and does bleed into everything. I had been looking for old photos or ads of black barbers/barbershops but could not find any. This article has shed a lot of light on why there are few if any. It also opens another door to America's shady past. I am going to stop writing now before I can not hold on to my gentlemanly restraint.
Again great find!
Can someone post a working link to the article? I can't get the link in the first post to open.
- Thread starter
- #11
theres a bunch of black barbershops still functioning where i live in alabama. they all have good business too. always packed on saturday mornings
I like going to black barbershops. The one I used to go to did really awesome fades and lined me up better than any other barber.
Very historical and informative article. Thanks for posting.
That was really interesting thanks. Coming from Australia, I didn't know they existed - but i seem to recall one on the comedy movie "Coming to America" now that I think about it.
The whole barbershop in general is a thing of the past. It's nice to read about the history related to it that you might otherwise not know or associate with "barbershop".
Barbershops are one of the last places where political correctness hasn't reached. I like going to barbershops and not have to listen to women gossip about who's sleeping with who, who wore what to the party, who said that about whoever, and so on.
Thanks for sharing that article berg informative
Midniterampler, thanks for the working link. This was an informative and enjoyable article to read and learn from.
Toothpick your well stated comment about barbershops being a thing of the past is an unfortunate truth. Back in the 1950s and 60s, I can still remember the smells and friendly atmosphere of our racially mixed neighborhoods barbershop. Mom always insisted on the 'boot camp' buzz hair cut for me every two or three weeks for 25 cents--my African American neighbor playmates mom' also wanted her boys properly groomed. After the University of Louisville expanded and absorbed our neighborhood, we relocated to an area with another similar barbershop. I remember my first experience in having my side burns shaved with a straight razor. When I turned 18 (31 Dec 1969), my dad treated me to a straight razor shave for registering to vote and for the draft.
Toothpick your well stated comment about barbershops being a thing of the past is an unfortunate truth. Back in the 1950s and 60s, I can still remember the smells and friendly atmosphere of our racially mixed neighborhoods barbershop. Mom always insisted on the 'boot camp' buzz hair cut for me every two or three weeks for 25 cents--my African American neighbor playmates mom' also wanted her boys properly groomed. After the University of Louisville expanded and absorbed our neighborhood, we relocated to an area with another similar barbershop. I remember my first experience in having my side burns shaved with a straight razor. When I turned 18 (31 Dec 1969), my dad treated me to a straight razor shave for registering to vote and for the draft.
Great article, thank you for sharing!
