It’s an event described as a bringing Black men and youth to connect together in a space where they can feel a sense of respectability. For its founder, it’s an event that highlights the lived experiences of racism and the importance of paying attention to the young Black men going through their education journey.
The Barbershop Talk series is hosting its next event of Aug. 21, this time bringing with it a discussion on supporting Black youth across the formal education system. Warren Clarke, professor at the University of Manitoba and series founder, told Global News Morning that Black masculinity tends to be stereotyped, with boys being seen as nothing more than troublemakers.
“When we think about young Black men, it’s this understanding that they’re thugs, uneducated, or unable to be educated,” said Clarke. “We need to think about how anti-Black racism moves and how it impacts the individual.”
According to Clarke, this “anti-Blackness” against young boys makes their education journey a lot more difficult. A skewed view of Black masculinity, he added, can contribute to many youths barely completing secondary school or dropping out entirely.
And it has much to do with the stereotypical understandings of their masculinity and their race, he said.
“It’s not to say people are evil… we also have to consider there’s a lot of ignorance at play,” said Clarke. “We need to acknowledge that we can educate people and also nurture the education that continues a conversation (which) sometimes could be challenging to have.”
The upcoming event will look at ways “to support Black young men and boys,” along with their families ahead of the next school year. Individuals from non-Black communities are encouraged to join, as a way of appreciating and learning about specific “vulnerabilities.”
Organized along with the Afro-Caribbean Mentorship Program at Carleton University, the event will run online over Zoom and in-person at the Freshair Boutique salon in Winnipeg. The event will also simultaneously run in-person in shops in Aurora and Windsor, Ont.
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