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Today, black-owned barber shops play a central role in African American public life. The intimacy of commercial grooming encourages both confidentiality and camaraderie, which make the barber shop an important gathering place for African American men to talk freely. But for many years preceding and even after the Civil War, black barbers endured a measure of social stigma for perpetuating inequality: though the profession offered economic mobility to black entrepreneurs, black barbers were obliged by custom to serve an exclusively white clientele. Quincy T. Mills traces the lineage from these nineteenth-century barbers to the bustling enterprises of today, demonstrating that the livelihood offered by the service economy was crucial to the development of a black commercial sphere and the barber shop as a democratic social space.Cutting Along the Color Linechronicles the cultural history of black barber shops as businesses and civic institutions. Through several generations of barbers, Mills examines the transition from slavery to freedom in the nineteenth century, the early twentieth-century expansion of black consumerism, and the challenges of professionalization, licensing laws, and competition from white barbers. He finds that the profession played a significant though complicated role in twentieth-century racial politics: while the services of shaving and grooming were instrumental in the creation of socially acceptable black masculinity, barbering permitted the financial independence to maintain public spaces that fostered civil rights politics. This sweeping, engaging history of an iconic cultural establishment shows that black entrepreneurship was intimately linked to the struggle for equality.

Background African American adults suffer disproportionately from obesity-related chronic diseases, particularly at younger ages. In order to close the gap in these health disparities, efforts to develop and test culturally appropriate interventions are critical. Methods A PRISMA-guided systematic review was conducted to identify and critically evaluate health promotion interventions for African Americans delivered in barbershops and hair salons. Subject headings and keywords used to search for synonyms of ‘barbershops,’ ‘hair salons,’ and ‘African Americans’ identified all relevant articles (from inception onwards) from six databases: Academic Search Ultimate, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science (Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index). Experimental and quasi-experimental studies for adult ( > 18 years) African Americans delivered in barbershops and hair salons that evaluated interventions focused on risk reduction/management of obesity-related chronic disease: cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes were included. Analyses were conducted in 2020. Results Fourteen studies met criteria for inclusion. Ten studies hosted interventions in a barbershop setting while four took place in hair salons. There was substantial variability among interventions and outcomes with cancer the most commonly studied disease state ( n  = 7; 50%), followed by hypertension ( n  = 5; 35.7%). Most reported outcomes were focused on behavior change ( n  = 10) with only four studies reporting clinical outcomes. Conclusions Health promotion interventions delivered in barbershops/hair salons show promise for meeting cancer screening recommendations and managing hypertension in African Americans. More studies are needed that focus on diabetes and obesity and utilize the hair salon as a site for intervention delivery. Trial registration PROSPERO CRD42020159050 .

Health disparities persist among Black men, notably in the context of lung cancer and stress-related health outcomes. This study explores these disparities through a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, citizen science, and social network theory, leveraging the expertise and trust of Black barbers as community leaders. The purpose is to understand the nuanced connections between stress and lung cancer in this demographic. Engaging 161 Black men across four Chicago neighborhoods, the study successfully collected hair samples and survey data, emphasizing the importance of culturally sensitive recruitment strategies. Findings highlight the effectiveness of the collaboration, showcasing the role of barbershops as community hubs for research. The study concludes by advocating for sustained partnerships with community leaders, emphasizing transparency in research communication, and promoting culturally grounded approaches to address health disparities and enhance research participation among underrepresented populations.

Background HIV self-testing (HIVST) offers an innovative and promising approach to increasing HIV testing among Black men in the United States, a population disproportionately affected by HIV. However, engaging Black men in traditional HIV prevention programs has been challenging due to stigma, medical mistrust, and limited access to preventive health services. This formative qualitative study aimed to explore the potential of utilizing barbershops as an example of a nontraditional healthcare venue to promote and distribute HIVST. Methods Four virtual focus group discussions (FGDs) consisting of 19 participants in North Carolina were conducted with Black men, including barbershop business owners, barbers, and their customers, to assess perceptions of HIVST and the acceptability of partnering with barbershop businesses to promote HIVST. FGDs were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a deductive coding approach to thematic analysis. Results Participants reported that the trusting relationship between barbers and their customers, which may not exist between Black men and health care providers, is a facilitator of collaborating with barbershop businesses to reach Black men for HIVST distribution. Participants recommended providing education for barbers on the use of HIVST, as well as how to inform self-testers about linkage to care following HIVST to build the credibility of the barbers in delivering the intervention. Participants also raised the issue of the cost of HIVST to barbershop customers as a potential barrier to implementation, as well as the possibility that the implementation of such interventions could be seen as out of place in a barbershop business venue. Participants also expressed a strong belief that compensation to barbershops and their employees should accompany any intervention. Conclusion These findings suggest that barbershop business venues may provide an appropriate venue for HIVST promotion and distribution, though factors like cost, training, and incentivization of implementers are necessary to consider in implementation planning. Furthermore, partnerships between public health actors and the business community must be built on equitable engagement to ensure the long-term viability of these critical initiatives.

We examined the impact of COVID-19 on Black barbershops and their potential role as public health extenders. A 30-item survey was distributed to predominantly Black barbershop owners and barbers across 40 different states/territories in the US between June and October 2020. The survey addressed the impact of COVID-19 on Black barbershops, and barbers’ interest in engaging in health outreach programs. The majority reported that stay-at-home orders had significant to severe impact on their business; few were prepared for the financial impact and less than half thought they qualified for government assistance. The majority were already providing health education and outreach to the Black community and showed interest in continuing to provide such services, like information on COVID-19. Barbers in Black-serving barbershops, a well-documented effective place for public health outreach to the Black community, show promise as public health extenders in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examines the barbershop as a rhetorical site in African American culture across genres, including fiction, film, poetry, and theater. In Keepin' It Hushed: The Barbershop and African American Hush Harbor Rhetoric, Vorris L. Nunley investigates the role of the hush harbor (a safe place for free expression among African American speakers) as a productive space of rhetorical tradition and knowledge generation. Nunley identifies the barbershop as an important hush harbor for black males in particular and traces the powerful cultural trope and its hidden tradition of African American knowledge through multiple texts. From Dunbar's \"We Wear the Mask\" to the recent Barbershop movies and the provocative rhetoric of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Nunley's study touches on a range of time periods and genres. Nunley's introduction connects African American Hush Harbor Rhetoric (AAHHR) to everyday considerations of what may or may not be spoken in public and how African American speakers manage numerous hidden transcripts. In the first three chapters, Nunley charts different iterations of hush harbors and their function in the context of residual and emergent rhetorical traditions. He investigates public sphere theory and its application (and misapplication) to black civil society and hush harbors and connects AAHHR to nommo, the power of the word. In chapters 4 and 5, Nunley examines the ubiquity of the hush harbor trope in African American culture and considers barbershops as pedagogical sites, using literature, poetry, philosophy, and film to make his case. In chapter 6, he analyzes the Barbershop movie in detail, arguing that the movie's commodified, neoliberal version of AAHHR did not represent a hush harbor, although that was ostensibly the aim. Keepin' It Hushed concludes with a presentation of a hush harbor pedagogy in chapter 7 and a distinctive analysis of hush harbor oriented speeches by then-Senator Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Rhetoricians and readers interested in African American life and culture will appreciate the cogent analysis in Nunley's volume.

Background/Objective: Tinea capitis is a common scalp fungal infection with significant implications for public health, particularly in regions where proper hygiene and access to healthcare are limited. Emerging evidence suggests that this disease, particularly in young male individuals, may be related to certain unsanitary practices in barbershop settings, such as the use of contaminated shaving equipment. To increase awareness of the risk of scalp dermatophyte infections by disclosing different cases of tinea capitis that had arisen shortly after hairdressing procedures and providing a comprehensive review of the existing literature. Patients and Methods: 10 cases of young, adult male patients developed tinea capitis after haircuts carried out at different local barbershops in Sardinia. A collection of data regarding age, sex, location of the disease, clinical manifestations as well as direct microscopy and cultural investigations were performed. Results: Clinical manifestations varied among patients, exhibiting both non-inflammatory and inflammatory features, cultural investigations were positive for Trichophyton tonsurans. Patients were treated with griseofulvin or terbinafine in combination with topical antimycotics. Two cases out of the ten patients developed scarring alopecia. Conclusions: Outbreaks of T. tonsurans-induced tinea capitis, linked to hairdressing, have been recorded in many different countries. Timely diagnosis and therapy are crucial, since any delay can result in disease dissemination and potential complications such as scarring alopecia, particularly in the inflammatory forms.

Health disparities increasingly impact African Americans (AAs). An individual’s perception is a significant predictor of health. This exploratory research study aimed to identify perceptions of health among AA males in a barbershop setting. The Duke Health Profile-8 and a demographic questionnaire were utilized. Data were analyzed using SPSS for descriptive statistics, multiple regression, and correlational analyses. The number of health conditions negatively correlated with physical, perceived, and overall health. Education level was positively correlated with mental health. Mental health scores were higher among those who were married. Identifying perceptions of health can help healthcare providers create tailored interventions to reduce risk factors and improve health outcomes.