ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — FGN GroundZero barbershop spreads a message of anti-racism and unity through a video posted to the business’ Facebook page.
In light of recent events, shop owner Antonio Morris decided to use his platform to create a video about bringing people together and stopping hate and racism.
“We get everyone in our doors, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, it doesn’t matter. And what we really wanted to showcase is that, no matter your skin color, or your ethnicity or occupation, is that we all come in, we sit in the chair,” Morris said. “We have a good time. Some of our clients we get really personal with, and we love one another.”
The video depicts people wearing masks with messages on them that say things like “the world is cruel enough” and “spread love in a world full of hate.”
“I hope it comes with change, in a timely fashion, because there’s a lot of things going on right now and we can really use that spark right now for change,” said Ramir Hunt, a barber at FGN GroundZero.
According to Hunt, barbershops serve as community pillars and give men a place to come together.
“I feel like, as barbers, we’re kind of like mentors,” Hunt said. “People come to us and look up to us and it’s like counseling. We’re just somebody to be there. And if we can influence them with our words, it will be beneficial.”
Morris adds, “For me and a lot of guys, this is our therapy. Guys come in, some of us get really personal with our lives, and we get to express ourselves. We get to talk about different things that’s going on in the community.”
FGN GroundZero’s clients — such as Khalif Abdul-Jabbar — say they appreciated the barbershop’s video.
“It was an inspiring message and like he said, it’s family-oriented around here,” said Khalif Abdul-Jabbar, a regular client at FGN GroundZero. “People come in, they can carry a conversation and just talk about life events and what’s going on in the world.”
Morris says he’s always looking for ways to give back to the community, emphasizing the importance of guiding our youth. He says the barbershop could be making more videos in the future.