“We want to give people awareness of information that a lot of people who come from these communities don’t have the opportunity to get access to,” he said.
Alvin Owens, shop owner, said the health and wealth days are a way to introduce men to others in the community who’ve started their own businesses along with leaders in other professions. Recently, Kenosha Unified science teacher David Arrington spoke, as did, Kenosha County Board Supervisor Jerry Gulley, whose experience includes healthcare and technology. His brother, Arlan Owens, a registered nurse, also performed blood pressure and health screenings.
“We want to have that discussion and to be like a barbershop should be,” he said.
The shop is also home to Education Youth Development Outreach, which sponsors the popular College Tour, which is on hiatus again this year due to the pandemic. Owens said the plan is re-start the tour again next spring.
Recently it opened the “Legacy Lab”, a resource center for students to do homework, fill out college applications and for adults in the community to work on job searches or update resumes. The collective also received a pair of Chromebooks and expects to add a few more, he said.
Owens said he believes barbering is just one aspect of his shop’s existence in the community.
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