Special to the AFRO
Barbering was one of the first professions that provided a means for Black men to purchase their freedom from slavery. Historically, the Black barber shop has served as the pillar of the community. It was one of two spaces—the church being the other—where Black men gathered to socialize and strategize for community events, including hosting voter registration drives.
On the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, Stan Dorsey, owner of Ultimate DeZigns Barber & Beauty Salon in southeast Raleigh, N.C.., hosted “Black Men, Black Voices, Black Votes, & Black Victors.” In the way Black men gathered at the barber shop in the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, men from neighboring communities gathered to discuss the importance of having their voices and votes counted…