A nationwide initiative has inspired a new movement in Rockford. The kickoff event took place on Monday at Comprehensive Community Solutions.
The City of Rockford is partnering with local barbers and beauticians for the “Barbershop Project.” This initiative will give stylists training that will help them support their clients’ mental wellbeing.
Andrea Carlson is the deputy director of the mayor's office of domestic and community violence prevention. She said the project was inspired by a national project. The Confess Project of America aims to create mental health advocates out of Black barbers and beauticians. According to its website, this organization has trained 4000 beauty professionals across the country.
Carlson said a local training for the “Barbershop Project” has already taken place.
“The training has been delivered by a multidisciplinary team on really understanding issues like how trauma impacts people,” she said, “domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, taking care of yourself, secondary trauma.”
The National Alliance on Mental Health is one of the groups partnering with the mayor’s office for this initiative.
Jeanette Towns is a recovery support specialist at NAMI. She said this type of project is overdue and that her organization will play an important role.
“NAMI is behind the training because we're going to teach the barbers about mental health,” she said. “And as we teach the barbers about mental health, they'll be able to help educate the community, as well as having workshops and public forums where the public can come in, and we can discuss issues as a group.”
Tamika Brown is a mental health advocate who is partnering with NAMI. Brown holds mental health workshops in the community that help individuals overcome their traumas. She said these workshops teach people to look within themselves.
“Before we pull the wrong trigger, whether that be a gun, whether that be a temper,” she explained, “whether it be suicide, if we go within first to become self-aware, we can prevent pulling the wrong trigger.”
She said the stylist chairs are used as counseling seats and some people go to these beauty establishments to see how they want to feel.
Carlson said most barbers and beauticians are already acting as therapists.
“I heard one barber say that the hands go in the hair and the mouth comes open, right? It's a comforting place,” she said. “It's a place where you go to take care of yourself initially anyway, it's time that you're, you know, many times people go back to the same barber or beautician and so they build a trusting relationship.”
Jermane Robinson is the owner of Precision Cuts, 305 Mulford St. His shop has been open for 11 years. He said his profession helps him change people’s lives and calls the project — quote — “a Godly movement.”
“I've been able to prevent suicide, you know, just uplifting people's spirits,” he said, “just giving them life and presenting them with opportunities and things like that helping kids out, want to do better in life, you know, helping out with careers.”
Robinson said he also helps adults with parenting because he was a young parent.
Calvin Wesley is partnering with the mayor’s office. Wesley recently started an organization called the “Power of Hope” that will offer mentorship to males from 7 to 24. He said most Black people don’t know that they are dealing with trauma.
“Because we were taught that getting counseling and mental health, I'm saying, is for weak people," he said, "[when] in all actuality, no, it's to decrease pressure and your life and give you a better understanding of what you got going on, in how could you fix a problem if you keep sweeping everything under the rug.”
Mayor Tom McNamara was at the event. He said when he sits in a barber chair, he immediately becomes comfortable enough to share his story.
“We know that so many citizens are going through so much, and we may not see it every day,” he said, “we may not hear about every day, but often, barbers do. And I think making sure that barbers are armed with some basic resources.”
McNamara said the stylists have done this on their own, but the additional resources will help them maneuver through this role more easily -- and it will help the community.
