Want to support the Black community and youth education from the comfort of your barbershop? Well, Andis Company has got you covered.
The beloved barber tools company recently teamed up with The Conscious Kid —an organization that promotes racial equity in education — to supply barbershops across the country with free access to anti-racist children’s books, as part of their #AndisBookstoBarbershops program.
For those who don’t know, Andis (and its products) already have a strong presence in many Black and Brown barbershops across the country. With this new program, the company’s foundation aims to build on their relationships with the communities that they service in order to help counter anti-Blackness and promote real long-term change.
“Barbershops are more than businesses. They serve as community hubs where customers discuss the state of their communities —and the world —building connections that last lifetimes,” said Laura Andis Bishop, Andis Co-CEO. “With the #AndisBooksToBarbershops program, we are excited to support The Conscious Kid’s mission of driving forward a critical conversation education and empowering children while supporting community barbershops across the nation.”
As part of the initiative, Andis will be giving barbershops free access to two award-winning books: Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut and Hair Love. Written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. Jones, Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut follows how one little Black boy’s “fresh cut” at a barbershop ends up changing how he feels about himself and the world around him.
Based on the Oscar-winning short film of the same name, Hair Love—which was written by Matthew A. Cherry and illustrated by Vashti Harrison—highlights a dedicated father who is determined to give his daughter a special hairstyle.
To sign up for the program and secure a copy of these books for their barbershop, barbers can visit The Conscious Kid’s website. It should be noted that due to current COVID-19 restrictions, some barbershops may prohibit having books in their facilities. Barbers are advised to follow the recommended safety guidelines in place and only place these books on display when it is safe to do so.
To learn more about the #AndisBooksToBarbershops program or Andis Company, be sure to visit their website or follow @andisclippers on Instagram. To learn more about The Conscious Kid, please visit their website or follow @theconsciouskid on Instagram.
