NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – While barbershops are known as leisurely locations for men today, they didn’t start out that way. The process of becoming a barber used to be a much more complex too. The profession required just as much money as skill and yet, the doors still weren’t open to all men.
Surprisingly, most Black-owned barbershops only served white men. That’s because the whole profession is rooted in slavery. It wasn’t until years later that the profession - and its professionals - would evolve into a culture all its own.
On last week’s episode of Beyond Black History Month, we explored how barbershops are being used to improve mental health in the Black community. This week, host Femi Redwood breaks down the history of barbershops and why they’ve become such an important and lucrative business for the Black community.