Our first stop on Tuesday was a barber shop, Samuel &Sons. He explained to us the history and the hardships that were/are associated with owning a barber shop in East Durham. We talked about how much a barber could influence a person’s life and how barbers can also act as therapists. Along with cutting hair, he sells inexpensive clothes with the hope that it will allow everyone to have easy access to some type of clothing. In order to give us a clearer idea of exactly what happens in his shop, he gave Kenneth a hair cut.
Next, we went to the John Avery Boys and Girls Club. They focus on providing cheap care for kids after school and throughout the summer. They provide tutors to help kids if they need it and they have a gym to let kids move around. We learned about the history and how the center developed over the years and started allowing girls to join the program.
The second to last stop was a library that was originally founded in the bottom of White Rock Baptist Church. It was built because blacks were denied the right to go to libraries. Once again we learned about the history and how it paved the road for the future.
For lunch, we ate at the Northgate Mall food court and then had some time to shop around and look in stores. After we were done we went back to CA and watched a documentary about the history of Wilmington and black rights to prepare us for the overnight trip.
Written by: Marie
