Black and Latino males are invited to a Barbershop Talk on Monday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m. in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium.
“Having a space for Black men to safely speak about issues that concern them is invaluable,” said Davion Williams, a junior studying English and law and social thought. “Barbershop Talk provides Black men the capacity to engage in conversations that promote and produce fruitful dialogue. It is spaces like these that are needed to highlight how Black men are creative, intellectual, sociable, professional: human.”
Black and Latino males are invited to a Barbershop Talk on April 11 at 5:30 p.m. in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium.
“The event consists of African-American and Latino males engaging in frank and open discussion of issues pertinent to men of color while having access to free haircuts, food and health screenings,” said David Young, director of Toledo Excel and Special Projects.
In addition to clinical preventative health education, the event will offer free blood pressure screenings and body mass index readings.
This will be the first event of the Rockets Matter initiative at UToledo, which is about meeting the basic needs of today’s students with a focus on improving a sense of belonging on campus to support student success. The financial support from the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities will help UToledo specifically address mental health challenges facing Black and Latinx students.
The barbers wielding the shears and razors are among the best in Toledo, according to Young.
“We have not been able to do this event since the pandemic but a number of students have asked for it to come back,” Young said. “So, we are very excited and expect a great turnout.”
The free, public event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Success and Brothers on the Rise.
