What is the work you are representing as a member of the committee?

The work I am representing is for Short Cut and Styling Barber Shop in Davenport, and UnityPoint Hospital in Des Moines and Davenport. I also have an initiative with Unity and my barbershop called “Medicine in the Barbershop”.

How does your work contribute to the mental health support balance in the Black community in Iowa?

“Well we talk about it in focus groups, not just in the barbershop but we have agencies within the community that come in, and what we do is we talk about the health in the African American community whether it be mental health or physical health, and try to establish better relationships with medical administrators in the hospitals and insurance. We talk about the health whether it relates to our history, family history or what we can do to prevent things happening in our families such as strokes, diabetes; something that goes on in our family blood line. So we try to get ahead of those things and so far the talk is really going good.”

Why did you choose to say yes to this committee?

“I chose to say yes number 1 because it’s very rarely talked about amongst men, especially in the African American culture and community, and then also because I wanted to make note that there is some family history with cancer and stroke in my family and I also want my kids to know what is going on in our family so that they can either prevent it, or if it comes along what we can do to get the proper help and the assistance to keep us from going down that same path.”