The Barbershop
Survival of African American Culture
By Tyler Carter
By Tyler Carter
The moment I entered the door the smell of lemon scented incense introduced itself to my nose which gave me a fresh, calming, and natural vibe. The lounge-like, woodsy decor had a relaxing vibe. The wall was covered with african inspired art and photography, hair care products and clothing for sale. Lauryn Hill was the background music of the debate over whether Ferguson could happen in San Diego. Conversations like this often took place in this shop. The music, laughing, and arguing drowned out the sound of vibrating clippers. I was warmly welcomed with a fist bump and a “Wassup bro?” by the familiar faces that I had seen the week before that, and the week before that. I was a regular here and I was treated like one. I knew this was the place I could come to get ideas and express my own.
A place where a man can be himself. Not the church, Not his job, Not even his own home.
A place where he can speak his mind freely and leave it there; where he can share personal information and leave looking brand new. You guessed it... the barbershop. But not just any barbershop. The barbershop I'm talking about is not just business, it's personal. Specifically the African American barbershops. Although many barbershops have adopted this culture, its origin is astonishing. San Diego's African American culture is preserved through these barbers. African Americans represent 5.6% of San Diego’s population of 1.37 million Unlike the churches, the barbershop allowed people to speak their mind freely and explicitly. Its the barbershop where its okay to be African American. “America loves black culture but they hate black people.” The barbershop hasn't always been such a comfortable place for men. African American men in particular. African American barbering has deep roots in the times of slavery. During these times, a slave would cut their master’s hair. After emancipation, slaves in the south were left without jobs or had to labor on the plantation for very low pay. Many slaves became barbers because it employed a useful skill that gave them a feeling of ownership and entrepreneurship that they hadn't had in years before. In the era of desegregation and even in present day. Black barber shops, beauty shops, and the churches are still black spaces. Obviously, African Americans attend all sorts of churches and beauty shops, but those catering to the black community are still largely separate. That is essentially because the production of black culture happens in these spaces. The churches and the barbershop have been the center of the African American community since the end of slavery. My aunt has been a barber all her life and she has been cutting my hair since I was born. In my lifetime she’s moved to six different barbershops, each containing something that made it different than the others. I followed her as a loyal customer to all of them. She currently works at Freshly Faded Barber Shop. Freshly Faded is located in North Park. It’s a black-owned barbershop but its very unique. When Derrick, the owner of Freshly Faded, founded the business he wanted it to be “A place where creative people of all backgrounds could come and collaborate on their ideas, place where a lawyer, athlete, and a musician could come relax, shop, and get a great haircut.” I recently visited to get my haircut but this time I brought a notebook and a phone to record notes. This time I paid attention to every detail of the shop environment. I sat down at the only seat open in the back of the shop. The chair reminded me of something you would see in the living room of your grandma’s house. Its was a lime green chair with red dots on the arm rest. This was the most comfortable seat in the shop after the barber chair. All of the other clients sat on the wooden bench that lined the wall on the left side of the shop. As I waited for my appointment I was approached by a tall African American man wearing an adidas jump suit with matching shoes. He asked me, “Aye you wanna buy any DVD’s or CD’s? I got all the newest stuff” I answered, “No thanks, just came for a haircut today”, and he proceeded to the next person. People like this were always in the barbershop, we called them "hustle men" but we're not forgetting women that come in selling soul food dinners and desserts. These people are a part of the barbershop also.
After about 5 minutes Derrick walks up to me and asks, "Do you have any ideas of what I should do next for shirt design?" I thought quietly in my mind I had a lot of ideas but I want to save them for myself. I knew if I have him one of my designs he would give me credit but I'd know I had no part in the creation of it. By the look on my face he could tell that I was thinking hard so he said, "I'll come back, just let me know". To my right side there was a chess game taking place between Omar and Derrick. This was a major chess rivalry in the shop. Derrick was an orthodox player but if you made one mistake he would finish you. He talked a lot before the game but during it he was silent. Omar on the other hand played the mind game. He would talk you into thinking you made a mistake when really he was the one who was worried. I was called to the chair after about an hour of being in the shop. Some people switch barbers every week because their usual barber is booked for that week. These people are called "chair hoppers" by the barbers. This people do not get the same respect as the "regulars". Regulars, like me, are willing to wait couple of days or another week just to get into their usual barber’s chair. Once I got in the chair I looked around and I noticed something. This was the first barber that I've been to where African American barbers cut white hair and white barbers cut African American hair. This barbershop was integrated. Prior to this shop all of the others were African American. Its not that whites aren’t allowed, it was just that most black barbers don't feel comfortable cutting white hair. Its not a race thing it’s a hair thing. Most African Americans have kinky hair. Most whites have straight hair. Each of these hair textures takes a different barbering technique. While I was in the chair I started to think what is this African American culture? Was it the music? The food? The clothing? The way we talk? The way we dance? It was all of these things collectively. The barbershop was the place where all of these things could happen and it would be accepted. I know that as long as African American barber shops are around, African culture will be too. |