Addressing Health Disparities One Haircut at a Time

As a young boy growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Andrew Suggs recognized early on the powerful space local barbershops serve for the Black community.

His father, struggling with addiction and imprisonment, was not present during much of Suggs’s childhood, and he missed out on many conversations a young boy would have with his father.

But he found support in his community, at his church, and local barbershop. Here, men gathered and spoke honestly in a safe space, where they learned, encouraged, and mentored each other.

After graduating college and getting a job at a Fortune 100 firm, Suggs learned his father had a heart attack and was living with congestive heart failure. This led him to discover the health disparities that still exist in Black communities in the United States.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/addressing-health-disparities-one-hair-cut-at-a-time/