Since 2007, an L.A. physicians’ group, trying to encourage black men to get checkups, has been doing exams at barbershops. More than 1,200 men have been screened for diabetes and high blood pressure.
Movies have been made and treatises have been written on the role of barbershops in African American life. In the pre-Civil Rights era, they were one of the first businesses that black men, especially in the South, could own, and, outside of churches, one of the few places they could gather.
In recent years, the barbershop has continued to be a place of fellowship, where African American men meet, gossip and dissect sports and politics across generational and socioeconomic lines.
Now barbershops across South Los Angeles have been targeted as the site of lifesaving efforts, thanks to Dr. Bill Releford and a squadron of other volunteers.
Do you think this will break the tension around doctor’s visits and proactive checkups?
“A shave, A cut and please roll up your sleeve” – L.A. Times
WHATEVER IT TAKES TO KEEP OUR MEN HEALTHY HAPPY AND HERE LONGER!