Cutting Violence by Cutting Hair

How One School’s Barbershop Talks Help Kids

By Patrick O’Donnell

trusted relationship between haircutters in the Black community and their male and female clients.

Frank discussions that can be spontaneous as clients sit in the barber’s chair have grown increasingly formalized as haircutters also connect clients to health services, are on the lookout for signs of domestic violence, and train to be mental health counselors.

Patton and Mcatee have been at the school weekly since October at the request of and did something not so good or I could have went to a workout. I went to a workout and one of my friends ended up being shot.”

“Wow,” Patton said, asking if the person died. (He survived)

“That’s a smart decision,” added Mcatee, who was shot as a bystander in his teens and wants to help others avoid that kind of danger. “You see the outcome of it, right? That’s just being smart.” homicides in 2020, then broke it again in 2021 before easing last year.

Derrick Mcatee flips the “on” switch of his electric clippers as a student settles into the barber chair in the basement of George Washington High School in Indianapolis.

The clippers start to buzz as Mcatee looks out at the dozen other students in the room. “What’s the biggest peer pressure you think y’all facing right now?” Mcatee asks.

The students, all Black or Hispanic males, gather each Wednesday morning with Mcatee, local activist Antonio Patton and sometimes other barbers or guest speakers for the school’s new “Barbershop Talks” program — an anti-violence, mentoring and counseling effort building on the visiting barbers cut hair while the students, two of whom report having been shot previously, talk about challenges they face. Mcatee and Patton offer insights in return about how to handle stresses and to de-escalate tensions before they turn violent.

Mcatee’s question about peer pressure on this day in April draws a flood of answers: Drugs, girls, people picking fights on social media, and one response that highlights the stakes at play clearly:

“I just feel like the biggest peer pressure for me is just like making the right decisions, like doing the right thing,” said Xavieon Wilson, 15. “The other day I had a choice. I could have went with a group of friends

The program at the school grew out of community-wide barbershop talk sessions Patton and his non-profit group Men of Vision Empowering (MOVE) started scheduling in shops across Indianapolis in 2022 in an attempt to reduce violence, domestic abuse and other social problems.

Similar efforts are happening in barbershops in cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, New Orleans and Washington, D.C.

As Patton’s efforts drew attention, Principal Law invited Patton to adapt the talks to his school, which is 84 percent Black or Hispanic and where two-thirds of students are considered economically disadvantaged. The school is also in the Haughville neighborhood of Indianapolis, long regarded as one of the most dangerous in a city setting a new record for

“There is a grave need for Black male scholars to engage with older, caring, and relevant Black males who have a story of perseverance and triumph over challenges that the scholars can relate their current experiences that affect their lives,” said Law. “A barbershop motif provided the platform to help our young men make connections with real stories with real experiences with real solutions,” he added.

Guests have included former Indiana Pacers basketball player George Hill, who grew up in Indianapolis, and people from the school’s neighborhood who were in trouble as teens but found successful jobs and lives.

The peer pressure question on this day continued to draw responses. Dae’den Thompson, 16, said he feels pressure when two friends have a conflict and he has to pick a side.

“Do you know how many beefs I’ve managed?” asks Mcatee, who has worked at multiple barber shops in the city. “The best thing to do is stay out of it. You say ‘I got love for you’ and ‘I got love for you.’ The best thing you can do is try to bridge it if you can.”

He tells students that sometimes having friends talk, without others around that they have to show off for, can defuse a problem. “Once they really get there and talk, man, a lot of that stuff don’t be about nothing,” he said. “They really don’t want to beef.”

“They do it when they get around a friend,” a student said.

“That’s it,” said Mcatee. “That’s the only reason that they do it.”

For the next hour, the conversation bounces from cyberbullying to materialism, absentee fathers, letting slights go, and not seeking conflicts over money or property damage that could lead to violence. At other points they joke about girls, about embarrassing moments or about going to prom as a group.

Thompson and other students say they appreciate the program for a chance to talk with students and adults who understand their lives. “I come here and can speak my mind,” he said.

Law says the talks seem to be having an impact. He did not have data, but said behavior problems with participants have fallen and attendance has improved. That’s in keeping with results from a study in

Philadelphia that showed young adults had fewer fights for a few months after participating in barbershop discussions. Those results didn’t last, however, and the program at George Washington is too new to know the long-term effect.

The biggest impact Patton hopes for, though, won’t be measurable. It’s about preventing tragedy. “I’m tired of meeting moms screaming for their babies that’s never coming home,” Patton tells the students.

“I do not want to see one of you young men on the news other than being highlighted for something amazing.”.

Editor’s note: This article is powered by COLab, the Colorado News Collaborative. It first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering K-12 education. Sign up for free newsletters at www.the74million. org/ to get more like this in your inbox.

Storytelling Expert Launches Professional Development Program for Black Women to Accelerate Their Careers with Thought Leadership

Nationwide: BlackNews.com –Shereese Floyd, CEO of Witness My Life, has launched Break the Glass: Thought Leadership

Academy, a 12-week professional development curriculum teaching mid-career and seniorlevel Black women to become thought leaders so they can get paid for their ideas and not their labor. The program starts on August 11.

Floyd, an award-winning speechwriter, storyteller, and consultant, has worked with thousands of women throughout her 20-year career to uncover profitable and marketable skills garnered through their lived experiences.

Encouraging Black women to be impossible to ignore

Black women earn the majority of bachelor’s and master’s degrees (American Association of University Women), yet are passed over for leadership positions and are more likely to have their competence and judgment questioned (Lean In McKinsey, and Company Women in the Workplace Report 2022).

In her work, Floyd notices a pattern where no matter how accomplished Black women are, some believe obtaining one more credential will earn them the respect they seek. There is an internal voice that needs to be silenced.

Floyd’s insights coupled with the data inspired this program built for Black women to stop auditioning for their value and to speak, write, teach, and brag. Break the Glass addresses oppressive narratives and societal norms Black women face when external voices become internal barometers that limit their self-perception.

Since COVID, thought leadership has emerged as a proven path to professional advancement. Fifty-six percent of recruiters said thought leaders can command a premium salary compared to non-thought leaders and 82 percent said thought leadership is more important to employers than before the pandemic. (Thought Leadership

on Your Career)

“As a Black woman, to combat inequities, we have to be our own solution. With Break the Glass, my goal is to bridge the gap between aspiration, ambition, and achievement. In the program, you learn then implement so by the end, you’ll either command your seat at the table or create your own,” says Floyd.

Becoming the greatest story ever told

Break the Glass’ curriculum emphasizes the importance of Black women seeing their expertise and perspective as assets that transcend limitations and helps them transform their personal stories into profitable brand stories so they can take up space in their industries.

In 12 weeks, participants develop essential skills to be successful thought leaders such as ideation, storytelling, writing, public speaking, pitching, branding, and relationship building. Participants leave the program with a complete thought-leadership talk and action plan ready to execute. This experience is designed for Black women to center themselves and take charge of their brand by building a platform that positions them for higher salaries and/or in-demand professional services.

Break the Glass: Thought Leadership Academy August cohort is open for enrollment.

Additionally, organizations can sponsor their employee’s participation in the program or license it for their own learning and development initiatives.

“Black women are uniquely positioned for thought leadership. Our stories are the one thing we really own. When we don’t know who we are, we live life like a mannequin behind glass with a memo: In case of emergency, break glass. We can break through a glass ceiling and still be in a box. Truly owning ourselves and telling our stories with full audacity breaks the glass. Forget about the glass ceiling, I want black women to shatter the whole damn box,” says Floyd. .

Editor’s note: To learn more about Shereese Floyd and Break the Glass: Thought Leadership Academy, visit https://www.shereesefloyd.com/.

Shereese Floyd is a speaker, author and CEO of Witness My Life, a people and culture firm that partners with corporations and universities to create and implement women’s leadership programs. She is on a mission to equip women with the tools to raise their voices and tell their stories so they are impossible to ignore. Floyd has developed and delivered leadership workshops for companies around the world.

She is an award-winning TEDx speaker and the organizer of TEDxMintStreet and an advocate for social change who believes telling our stories is the one true way to change the world. Her work has been featured in Chief Learning Officer, Essence, Blavity, Entrepreneur Magazine, and CEO World. She was recently named one of 100 Women to KNOW in America.

To contact her, email shereesefloyd@gmail.com.

About Break the Glass: Thought Leadership Academy is a 12-week implementation incubator designed for Black women leaders. Participants receive individual assessments identifying their strengths and credibility markers, engage in group learning, access on-demand training, and develop a customized action plan, thought-leadership strategy, and small talk for graduation.