By Gabriel Oliveros Jr.
Over 30 people signed up to get their haircut at the Shop with Unbuntu Brotherhood & Men of Color Alliance (MOCA) event. Attendees passed the time by playing UNO on the large circular tables inside the West Lounge, located by the Helen Rucker Center. This event kicked off the Unbuntu Brotherhood’s bi-weekly conversation circle and was hosted by the Men of Color Alliance in collaboration with the Helen Rucker Center.
Wednesday, the list was full on the sign up sheet and all five barber stations were busy, while students and staff patiently waited to get their hair cut. All haircuts were provided by two local barbershops from Seaside: The Cut and Side Affects.
From students to staff and faculty, the diversity of attendees could be seen in the line of people waiting for their turn in the chair. “It is really beautiful to see people coming out to get a haircut. Not just black students, but everyone here,” said Dr. Jermiahs Zunguze, associate director of Ethnic Studies. “I hope this event keeps going on, because it is a nice community building event, I see everyone out here. You know it’s really nice.”
The event began around 4 p.m. and was scheduled to end at 7, but went on until about 7:40 p.m. Everybody who received a free haircut was required to sign a waiver for safety purposes.
“I heard about the event from a friend that sent me a message. He just took a picture of the place and told me to pull up…I like my cut, I like it. It’s cool,” said Josué Herrera, a senior studying business administration.
The sounds of loud buzzing, deep conversations and laughter were in constant circulation.
All types and styles of cuts were welcomed from long straight hair, to curly and also short hair.
This event set out to provide a more cost-effective outlet of self-care for members of the on-campus community. According to event attendees, on-average they spend $20 to $40 per haircut.
“Sometimes you have to step outside the box, as an entrepreneur you always got to just explore other options and it’s really just about self reflection and self growth, because as long as you constantly reassess or give reflection/introspection, you will always be able to have accessibility for success, because it’s not a loss but a lesson,” said barber and entrepreneur Donovan Maben.
“Man, this was a magnificent event. Good people, good vibes. A lot of relatable people (brothers) and everybody that came to express themselves in reflection to what they’re going through as far as school, society, etc.”