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 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 expressed 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 after “students set off fire alarms in the residence halls because of hair straighteners.”
The Royal Treatment became a reality after crowdfunding last fall and has been an ongoing project for the last few months.
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 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.
Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, EMU President Susan Schultz Huxman, and local barber Tyrone Sprague were all present for the festivities, which included speeches and sand pouring in the Royal’s Den. SGA senator and junior Hannah Nichols, Loving, and BSU co-president, sophomore Jakiran Richardson, all shared inspirational words before the ribbon cutting and tour of the Royal Treatment began.
“I appreciated having a day of service, and recruits were astonished that it was a campus -wide event,” said Nichols. “The barbershop is a place for self care and a great step for EMU.”
President Huxman referenced 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.”
Black excellence has not gone unnoticed at EMU, and students like Richardson have been empowered by the leadership of residence director, Scott Eyre.
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 finding places to fit in.
“The Royal Treatment is a labor of love, and it signifies growth over the past three years,” Eyre says. “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 picture of the 50th Anniversary of the crossing of a bridge in Selma by Lawrence Jackson, who was one of the 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 to 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 surrounding 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.”
Erye 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 studentrun and will offer discussions, workshops, and host events facilitated through 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.