Barbershops are known to be a staple of black communities for as long as I could remember. Going to the barbershop is a right of passage in certain ways. No matter what the differences are in the community, everyone goes to the barbershop.
There have been several movies, documentaries and television shows based upon the culture of the barbershop, like former NWA member “Ice Cube,” is now into the trilogy of his barbershop-based movies.
As a young boy you usually go with your mother or father, depending upon which one is around. Besides getting badgered by you parents’ to clean your room, on Saturdays the barbershop is the one thing that you’re almost guaranteed to do at least twice a month. As you get older, you begin to go on your own, almost creating the first responsibility your parents give to you. It teaches you responsibility, discipline and matures you to a certain extent as you learn to take care of yourself.
As you grow older, when you enter the barbershop, you begin to understand the conversations that take place there. No topic is safe from debate in the shop, and with so many different people and opinions, an argument is sure to transpire.
A barbershop may be the only place in the country where our alleged right to freedom of speech can be executed. As you get older it may also become your group’s first hangout, especially if there’s not much to do after school.. Barbershops are open to all kids from the neighborhood to keep them safe, to wait out parents getting home from work or even to just stay out the streets. All different age groups can usually find each other in the barbershop.
A majority of the time, the older gentlemen just try to bash the younger generations and elaborate on how different things were during their childhood. Women are a rarity in barbershop; due to the sometimes-vulgar nature of conversations and to be honest most men go to the barbershop to escape women. It makes for great learning experiences and some interesting dialogue between different generations, ultimately for us to prosper we need to recognize and understand the differences between generations.
For a lot of kids in black communities, barbers maybe the only father figure in a kid’s life. That’s exactly what Robert Green Jr.’s father was to many, leading him to continue in his father’s footsteps. He’s known as Bob to friends and acquaintances alike.
This barbershop is one of the few things that hasn't changed in the Overbrook Park section of West Philadelphia over the past few years. Owners Bob and Jordan keep things in perspective for the men of this neighborhood.Robert Green Sr., known as Mr. Rob, was a staple in the small West Philadelphia section called Overbrook Park for many years. He was a father figure to kids growing up, and raised his own seven kids, all while keeping an eye on the kids from his barbershop. He was known and loved by everyone. Of all his five sons, Robert Jr. is the only one that took to being a barber.
Robert Jr., started to cut hair when he was about 14 years old and has never stopped. He now owns a shop about 30 feet from his dad’s used to be. The responsibility gained from the first solo trips to the barbershop must have grown on Bob, who is now pushing 30. With that added age comes some wisdom-he’s now starting to fully understand some of the advice given to him by his father and is continuing the tradition of passing it along the community.
Photo Gallery: Barbershop essentials
Being a barber is more than just providing a serveice, you're connecting yourself with certain people for a lifetime.
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