Transcript

The epicenter of most African American communities lie within the church or the barbershop. The church was usually the spiritual epicenter where the family would gather in worship. Where the barbershop primarily is where men would gather. Men and young boys, rites of passage of coming to the barbershop. Hearing men talk, watching them work. 

"You're grown up now, you're a big boy. Stay still." [Speaking to young child in barber chair.]

"See people doesn't understand. It's going to get a haircut, just there's nothing like it. You look decent for half an hour at least."  [Laughter]

The African American community, we feel misrepresented in proper healthcare, but we're over-represented in how it affected the communities, at whole. When COVID happened, of course, we were at the front line of being affected. 

"Well sure, I'm glad to have you back on your two feet man." [Fist bump]

From the time we opened again, the hot topic was COVID. COVID, COVID, COVID, so I had to be educated on it immensely. I think a good barber, one who not only recognizes but acknowledges and exercises his responsibility and accountability to the community which he serves, our word carries very strong within the community. You know, we have to be very cognizant of what we say and the ideas we disseminate, because a lot of people do hang on our words. 

Customer in barber chair: "So how much longer you think it's gonna last?" 

Barber Kennard: "That question may be the question of the day, sir."

Customer: "Shouldn't you get the vaccine?"

Kennard: "Hmm .. this stuff is in line between, unfortunately, life or death you know. So you have the wife, you got your son, you got more to think about than you, than yourself." 

Customer: "Let me ask you this, what made you change your mind about everything?"

Kennard: "The numbers of deaths really struck a chord with me. We're talking over half a million people now." 

Customer: "That's a lot of people. Like once you get educated on certain things and how certain things go, you'll feel a little different about it."

Regardless of what you believe—fact, fiction or otherwise—we have now over half a million people dead. The fact is it's here, and it's extremely real.

Customer: "That's hard for a lot of people to be comfortable with uncertainty, though." 

Kennard: "Yeah."

Customer: "They'll lose their jobs or their lives."

Kennard: "And it's crazy to say, because I think that's a major component in this pandemic. People are just uncomfortable with uncertainty. That's what's causing all these outbreaks, all these lash-outs, all this, all this stuff." 

If anything we should have learned during this year-plus time dealing with this pandemic is, we have to be more compassionate for one another. We don't know other people's stories, we don't know other people's fears or insecurities, and it's my job to just cut their hair, let them breathe. Everybody needs that space where they can, you know, express themselves unabashedly and not feel they're going to be judged. 

Customer: "It's been times I came here probably haven't said nothing to you, and you just go in and cut. Probably never thought nothing of it. Now I come back the next week, and I'll just talk and talk and talk, or I'll bring up something and just let you talk, and it helps me process it a little bit more. COVID or not, this is my therapist. I get my hair cut. You, you don't know who you're helping that might come in. You cut their hair and make them go out feelin' better and give them confidence. Whatever you may have said helped them along throughout their day. But you'll never know because they ain't going tell ya, and that's one thing within our community that, that's difficult." 

In order to be a successful barber, in order to be more than a barber, you must become a trusted voice within your community. And the best way I can use my voice is to use it in an impactful, positive way. Let's talk about accountability for one another. Let's talk about our responsibility, not only to one another but to the communities in which we live in. Um, I think these are the words, as taboo as they may be depending on the variation of conversation, I still think they're going to be the most relevant within the African American community for quelling this pandemic.