Kamala Harris’ ascension sparks lively debate at the barbershop

The older I get, the more value I place on my visits to the barbershop. As a younger man, the barbershop was a transactional experience. You give me a good haircut. I pay you. I rarely spoke beyond the typical pleasantries, “How you been? I’ve been good. How about you?” My goal was simple: get in and get out. I had things to do.

As time has gone by, and the responsibilities of life have grown heavier, I find myself looking forward to going to the shop. It’s one of the few places in my life (perhaps the only) that is designed by and for Black men. As a Black man whose chosen profession is exceedingly white, I sometimes forget the amount of headspace that race takes up. Code switching, ignoring slights, maintaining a veneer of joy, and adjusting myself to ensure that others are comfortable have become second nature. Going to the shop, where my full self is embraced, reminds me of the weight I carry each day. And each visit provides a welcome respite.

What I love most about the barbershop is the conversations. It may surprise you, but Black men (and Black people in general) are not a monolith. There is significantly more diversity of thought amongst Black people than that reported by the media. A burden of Blackness (of being a minority really) is that at any given moment, whether deserved or not, whether intended or not, one can be deemed the representative for the entire community.

Of course, we talk about sports at the shop. Allow me to indulge that stereotype and say that I have yet to visit a Black barbershop where sports are not discussed regularly. But I would venture to guess that white guys talk sports at their barbershops too.

Anyways, our conversations also go well beyond sports. We discuss music, relationships, raising children, mental health, news stories and politics. The barbershop’s long-held status among Black men as a communal space, a familial space, a space where you can come as you are, and come out better looking than when you came in, is one of the primary reasons that politicians love to set up campaign events at barbershops. It is one of the few places where Black men of all backgrounds congregate.

This past week, all the talk at the shop was about Vice President Kamala Harris. About the only thing everyone at the shop agreed on in the past couple of weeks was that President Joe Biden didn’t need to run again after that debate. Even the shop’s resident contrarian offered no defense for Biden after that abysmal performance.

However, the solidarity ended with Harris’ ascension to the presumptive Democratic party presidential nominee. Some (me included) were supportive. Others, though supportive, didn’t like the process of her selection, as she will be the nominee without having won a primary. They didn’t like someone achieving such an important position without experiencing competition.

Others still, were not supportive of Harris at all. Of course, as expected, the shop’s resident contrarian was among this highly vocal group. And, as usual, any opinion he offers triggers a lengthy debate.

The reasons for opposition were several. First, the opinion was that we were all supportive of Harris because she was Black. There was a collective sigh, followed by, “So?” People tend to vote for people that look like them. Everyone does it. Why do Black people have to be any different? Why must we alone ignore race when making political decisions, especially when we know the value of representation?

The second opinion was similarly controversial but had more support in the shop than you (not me) might expect. The second opinion was this: Women should not be at the head. A man is supposed to be at the head.

It may surprise you to know that Black people are more conservative than you would guess from our loyalty to the Democratic Party. A 2019 Pew Research poll found that only 29% of Black Democrats called themselves liberal. A plurality of Black Democrats (43%) called themselves moderate.

The status of the Black church within our community is well-documented. That’s why, to this day, politicians visit Black churches when they want to get Black votes. It should be no surprise, then, that portions of our community may harbor views more closely aligned with the so-called Christian Right.

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” Ephesians 5:22-23.

To be clear, I’m not saying that all Black churches teach this view. I only acknowledge that there are some that do.

Biblical reference aside, I noted that many of us (me included) were raised by single mothers. We ourselves have witnessed firsthand what a woman can accomplish as “the head.” Each of us are walking testaments to what can be achieved. “Yeah, but she struggled,” was the response. Of course she did. But what evidence do we have that single fathers do not struggle as well?

And what about those of us raising daughters? If “daddy’s little girl” came to you, with excitement in her eyes, and proclaimed a desire to be the president of the United States one day, what would you tell her? Would you tell her that women can’t do that? She can do whatever she wants, except lead? Is that what your beliefs tell you to do? Shatter your child’s dreams? A father encourages his children, as Christ encourages us.

A third opinion was that women are too emotional. I thought about discussing the research that says this idea is either false or not clearly supported, but there was no need. Just look at Donald Trump. He’s as emotional as it gets. Reason drives little of his actions. He’s literally shooting from his emotional hip every day. One cannot seriously maintain that being too emotional is a problem and vote for that guy.

The final opinion was more of a concern. What about other countries that might refuse to meet with Harris because she is a woman? First, America’s status as the world’s foremost superpower (and largest consumer market) means this is unlikely to happen. Second, since when do we vote based on the beliefs of other countries? Suppose someone made a similar argument regarding a Black president. Would we be OK with Americans voting for a white person because of that concern? Of course not.

At the end, I don’t know if any minds were changed. But regardless, I enjoyed the discussion. As I left the shop, I turned the conversation to my favorite barbershop topic: Michael Jordan or LeBron James?

I could hear the arguing from outside as I walked to my car.

Eric Foster is a columnist for cleveland.com.