NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – In 2021, New York City declared racism a public health crisis. It was a wakeup call to the disproportionate treatment of the country’s minority population.
According to The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, currently an estimated 20% of African Americans are more likely to experience what’s considered “serious psychological distress” compared to white people. That’s due to a combination of racism in healthcare and the Black community’s willingness to trust the system.
Where the institution of healthcare has failed, another is stepping up: the barbershop.
The barbershop has always been the place where barbers and customers could talk personally about politics, sports, and everything in between. In 2016, one small group from Arkansas thought it that instinctual vulnerability might lay the groundwork for deeper conversations. That’s how The Confess Project came to be.
In that short time span, the nationwide network consisting of over 1,000 barbers across 40 cities has reached 1 million people.
On this episode of Beyond Black History Month, not only does host Femi Redwood break down the history of inequity in the healthcare industry, but we hear from one of the barbers affiliated with the project. They explain why giving back to his community is important and how it is has impacted his own mental health journey.
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