Men of Color Action Network hosted Dr. Parrish Geary’s Barbershop Talks event at the Student Equity and Achievement Center on Wednesday, Sept. 19.

Barbershop Talks was organized by MOCAN Counselors Robert Williams and Christopher Hurd.

Williams said MOCAN seeks to dispel deficit-minded myths about what men of color can accomplish

“We’ve always been told that we’re not good enough and will never accomplish anything,” Williams said at the start of the event.

Named after Dr. Parrish Geary, the former Dean of Student Support Services, the event was for students who are young men of color to offer insight into their backgrounds to inspire each other.

He added that men of color deal with generational trauma. The college gives support to the students with the help of MOCAN.

During the event, barbers gave students free haircuts.

MOCAN advocates for male students of color at community colleges to inspire one another with their upbringing in their communities to find a way to succeed in life with a higher education.

Associate Dean of Mathematics Gerson Velle and counselor Diego Rodriguez were guest speakers. Velle encouraged students to boost their confidence.

“If you wanna kick some butt, you gotta be smart,” Velle said.

Alajowan Edwards, who participated in the event as a barber said he enjoyed attending the event to showcase his talent of cutting hair.

“It’s a very good environment and it’s nice to come here to show my talent,” Edwards said. “I’ve been a barber for 10 years and it’s my passion. So if you have a goal, fight for it.”

Jesus Soria, a 19-year-old business administration major, has been a part of MOCAN since Oct. 10, 2023.

“Loved it. It was nice to see some Hispanic people representing the event and seeing everyone in the room giving some great messages,” Soria said.

Soria hopes that young men of color live up to their expectations.

“You gotta go against the norms and fight those stereotypes,” Soria said. “The amount of trust Robert [Williams] has for us helps and it’s about raising expectations.”

MOCAN will host two more Barbershop Talks on Oct. 16 and Nov. 27. at the SEA Center located in the Student Services Building, Room 100.

Editor’s note:

• a misspelled name was corrected and information was added for clarity on Sept. 24 at 7:31 p.m.