Barbershop Speaks

About Us

Barbershop Speaks positively impact communities that are underserved and underprivileged. We were conceived in the Summer of 2016 from the simple question: What would happen if we engage in intentional dialogues about issues that affect us directly in spaces that are common and comfortable for the community? 

We have partnered with business leaders, politicians, judges, attorneys, education experts, and more, to bring education through conversation. Barbershop Speaks serves as a platform to accelerate the existing work being done and provide new opportunities.

Our Origins

On July 11, 2016, Barbershop Speaks' first event took place in a local barbershop in North Miami Beach. There was no elaborate plan to reach the masses, gain media attention, or attract influential leaders. We simply had the desire and will to make our community better. During the first discussion, we discussed the state of the community. That topic was broad —but intentionally so. We touched on issues that were deeply important to the average person. Subjects such as education, financial literacy, local/state/national politics, criminal justice, mental health, and more. We realized the profound importance in bringing in subject matter experts and influencers on specific topics from that dialogue. Over the past years, our events were accompanied by gubernatorial candidates, sitting senators and representatives, sitting judges, licensed mental health professionals, professors, and more. These conversations took place in barbershops and beauty salons in Tampa, Miami Gardens, North Miami Beach, North Miami, Little Haiti, Opa-Locka, Liberty City, and Tamarac.