Students can now live the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Royal Treatment, a barbershop and salon which opened its doors on Jan. 21, 2019 in the University Commons.

The creative space was envisioned by senior Mark Loving III, the resident barber on campus, providing hair care services out of his apartment. Loving has been voicing the needs of African Americans on campus since he began his college career at EMU three years ago.

With the support of Celeste Thomas, Director of Multicultural Student Services and Senior Advisor to the President for Diversity and Inclusion, Loving’s dreams did not go unseen, especially after students unintentionally set off fire alarms in the residence halls using hair straighteners.

The Royal Treatment became a reality after crowdfunding last fall and was an ongoing project in the months leading up to its opening.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students, faculty, staff, and community members were invited to events as a “time to break silence” by celebrating Dr. King’s life and legacy with a day of service and learning instead of classes. This included the opening of the Royal Treatment.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new student lounge/barbershop took place following convocation, where speaker Reverend Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou emphasized the importance of comprehension and compassion so that the campus community can face the challenges of racial injustice.

“I appreciated having a day of service, and recruits were astonished that it was a campus-wide event,” said junior SGA senator Hannah Nichols. “The barbershop is a place for self-care and a great step for EMU.”

President Susan Schultz Huxman referenced rapper and actor Ice Cube and the movie “Barber Shop” in her speech that celebrated this monumental event in EMU’s history, finishing by reminding the audience to “stay woke.”

Residence Director Scott Eyre says that students of color deserve to have a safe space where they can feel comfortable. As minorities at a predominately white institution, many have struggled to find places to fit in.

“The Royal Treatment is a labor of love, and it signifies growth over the past three years,” Eyre said. “The barbershop is connected to my awareness of how we can support and welcome non-white and non-Mennonite students,” he said. “There is a deeper connection between African Americans and barber shops from a historical perspective, but everyone is welcome in the new student lounge because we all have hair care needs.”

“Muslim women will have private access to remove their hijabs for hair care,” Thomas added.

Not only is the barbershop equipped with a sink, barber chairs, couches, and a television, but it also features a photograph of the 50th anniversary of the crossing of a bridge in Selma taken by Lawrence Jackson, one of the White House Staff Photographers during Barack Obama’s presidency. It was donated by the Visual and Communication Arts Department and framed by Eyre’s family.

A mural of the Angel Oak Tree by junior Freddie Monahan also makes the barbershop unique on campus. Monahan, president of the Art Club, a new student organization, explained that “the Angel Oak tree is [a] really important cultural landmark to the Gullah Geechee, who are the descendants of West African slaves who have maintained their rich culture in the United States.”

The design was based on the work of Keith Harring, an artist who created political art and murals concerning AIDS, apartheid, and LGBT rights.

Monahan says the lounge is important because “it creates a different vibe,” and “seeing a big art piece by a student will help [promote] the arts on campus.”

Eyre added, “I truly believe that… the barber shop is not only responsible for attracting prospective students, but retaining students. Education at EMU is phenomenal, so [we should] supplement it with spaces where students can share their gifts, feel empowered to own spaces, [and have the] opportunity to grow and interact. Increasing diversity numbers signals that ‘the Mennonite way’ isn’t the only way to do it.”

The barbershop is student-run and will offer discussions and workshops and host events facilitated by Black Student Union.

To schedule an appointment or reserve the space, contact Celeste Thomas, Mark Loving III, or Jakiran Richardson. “You can watch T.V., listen to music, or just chill,” Richardson said with a big smile, sitting in the barber chair.