Posted on 15 October 2012.
Straight Talk
?If we can?t talk straight in a barbershop, then where can we talk straight? ?We can?t talk straight nowhere else.? ? Eddie
As a man who has devoted his life to preaching and teaching the Word of God, I would naturally have to disagree with the above quote, spoken by Cedric the Entertainer?s character in the 2002 film, ?Barbershop.?
I would hope that the pulpits of our churches and the dining room tables of believers could also be havens for ?straight talk.?? But while they certainly could and should be, often they are not.? So I was eager to make my way to the lone ?black-owned? barbershop in Joplin to see how it compared to movie.
In 9+ years of living and serving the church in Maryland, I had never made it to a barbershop owned and populated predominantly by African-Americans.? Out there I didn?t need a barbershop to find the kind of cross-cultural fellowship such a venue offers.? I got it nearly every day through my church relationships.? And the barbershop 3 blocks from my house ? owned and operated by a white guy ? was terribly convenient.? It was also terribly quiet.
You can imagine my disappointment, then, when I arrived at the Joplin establishment and found it to be not at all like the scenes I enjoyed from both ?Barbershop? and its sequel.? Except for the owner?s children (an infant and a toddler), it was pretty quiet here, too.
So I got my haircut in a place that is half barbershop, half salon, with a dividing half-wall between the two.? The owners are married, and each takes care of the customers who share their gender in common.? And did I mention that their kids hang out here, too?
I suspect the subdued nature of the men who were there could be attributed to several factors:
1) The half-wall with women on the other side.
2) The young ?uns.
3) Cedric the Entertainer doesn?t live in Joplin.
But the fellowship was good.? With verses from the Bible posted (and sometimes painted) on the walls, it was clear that I was in a Christian establishment.? But I knew that already.? The waitress from the BBQ joint told me that, and you?ll recall that she knows everybody.? J
I introduced myself to the owner, to his uncle who helps out, and to the young Puerto Rican guy who ended up taking care of me.? I got to know them a little bit.? They got to know me a little bit.? We talked about where we are all from originally, how and when we all ended up in Joplin, and where we go to church if and when we go.
Then I tried some ?straight talk? that didn?t come out quite like I wanted it to.
I said, ?You know, I have found that it?s a lot harder for me to build and maintain relationships with black folks since I moved from the D.C. area to Joplin??
They all smiled, nodded and chuckled in affirmation.
Then I said something stupid:? ?I miss? I miss my? my people, you know??
My people?? My people?? Did I just say that?? What?? Am I auditioning for the role of Isaac* in case they make ?Barbershop 3? sometime? ?Maybe we can get Cuba Gooding, Jr. on the phone, so he can prompt me to yell, ?I love black people!!!!?? Sheesh.
The barbers ? and the customers ? were all gracious.? Again, they all smiled, nodded and chuckled ?probably in amusement more than affirmation this time.
When you try to be intentional in building cross-cultural relationships in an area where that just ?isn?t done,? you are going to say some stupid things sometimes.
I thought about trying to explain.? I wanted a ?do-over.?? Instead I just thanked my barber and left.
That was probably enough straight talk for one day.
*?Isaac Rosenberg? was the Jewish guy in the ?Barbershop? movies who acted like he was black.
Read Part 1
Read Part 2
Read Part 3
Read Part 4
Read Part 5
Read Part 6
Read Part 7
Source: http://new.dreamofdestiny.org/blog/2012/10/15/can-you-be-multiethnic-here-part-8/
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