Staff Pick: Dawoud Bey, Deas McNeil, the Barber (from the series "Harlem, U.S.A."), 1976
Dawoud Bey, Deas McNeil, the Barber (from the series "Harlem, U.S.A."), 1976. Silver print, 7 × 9 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of the artist 1979.1.19 © Dawoud Bey; courtesy the artist and Sean Kelly, New York/Los Angeles. Photo: Zalika Azim
Dawoud Bey, Deas McNeil, the Barber (from the series "Harlem, U.S.A."), 1976. Silver print, 7 × 9 in. Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of the artist 1979.1.19 © Dawoud Bey; courtesy the artist and Sean Kelly, New York/Los Angeles. Photo: Zalika Azim
Growing up, Saturday morning meant it was haircut time. As a young boy, my dad and I would go to the neighborhood barber.
I would listen as my dad and all the “old men” discussed everything from neighborhood events to sports and politics. It was a sanctuary, a special place where Black men could commune, enjoy fellowship, and be free from the outside pressures of the world. For more than ten years, I walked into that barber shop as a child and listened to everything. It was a special day when, not long after my eighteenth birthday, I walked into the barbershop as a man and joined the conversation.