‘Barbers and books’ initiative pairs fresh cuts with inspiring reads for Beaufort Co. kids
For young boys, barbers are not just men who cut hair. They’re counselors. Mentors. Guardians of secrets and agents of connection.
“There’s an intimacy when a barber is cutting your hair,” said N’Kia Jones Campbell, Beaufort County School District’s director of academic initiatives. “Barbers are like doctors. They know you.”
Now, in Beaufort County, barber shops are also places kids can pick a book to read while waiting to get their hair cut. A roughly $5,000 BCSD literacy initiative launched this month has placed 50-book bins into 12 barber shops throughout the county.
The books, ranging from first- to eighth-grade reading levels, include recent hits like Becoming Muhammad Ali and Dear Martin and old favorites like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Some were purchased through Scholastic and others were donated.
“Kids need to go get their hair cut,” said Campbell, who is spearheading the project with BCSD director of student services Lakinsha Swinton. “While they’re waiting, let’s not be on the iPhone, let’s reestablish the importance of reading.”
Campbell said she had been concerned about how virtual schooling affected kids in lower socioeconomic levels and those struggling with language and literacy. It’s important for kids to be in “print-rich environments,” where they can interact with books, signs, charts and bulletin boards, Campbell said, but these can be harder to ensure outside of the classroom.
So they tapped barber shops serving largely Black and Latino populations throughout the county to help facilitate reading outside of the classroom.
“Young boys look up to their barbers,” Campbell said. “They’re the cool guys in the community. Why can’t we ... associate not just the clippers in their hands but books in the hands of barbers and boys?”
Major League Barber Shop and Beauty Salon owner Tony Burns said he was glad to support the program, as he has known Campbell since they were in high school. Reading at Major League has an added bonus: Burns rewards participants with a bag of chips or candy.
His stepson, Khalil Bethea, 10, has already read one book through the program: Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It wasn’t his favorite, but the youngster, who hopes to become an Air Force engineer, is sure to read more as he hangs around the barber shop.
“I get to meet a lot of new people,” he said.
Campbell said she wants to grow the project and plans to collect data on which books and barbershops have been the most successful. She noted the district is also planning to launch a science and math initiative geared toward girls.
