When it comes to mental health, Black men are struggling. The trend lines on a range of indicators — from increasing rates of depression and anxiety to rising suicide rates — are moving in the wrong direction, signs of an invisible crisis.
Yet the rising need for mental healthcare for Black men is running head-on into persistent gaps in services available in Black communities.
Grassroots programs to address the crisis are, however, turning to what are perhaps the most popular gathering spots — neighborhood barber shops — into a hub of much-needed help for Black men.
Across the country, barbershops in Black neighborhoods can help clients with their well-being, in addition to providing a fade or trim. Through partnerships with therapists and nonprofits, barbers are being trained to recognize signs of stress or depression and connect customers with free counseling or support services.
Meeting People Where They Are
One organization supporting such efforts is the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, located in New York City. Dr. Marilyn Fraser, the Institute’s CEO, says it’s part of meeting Black men — and women — where they are.
When Ashe, the late tennis champion and humanitarian, founded The Institute in 1992, his vision was to address health inequities through a social justice lens by promoting community engagement and health education, Fraser tells Word In Black.
“We go into beauty salons and barbershops to train trusted community leaders to speak with their clients about health,” Frasier says. “We recognize that they’re talking about a whole lot of different things. So why not incorporate health into that?”
You learn about equality in history and civics, but you find out life is not really like that.
Arthur Ashe
The Ashe Institute’s program, “Barbershop Talk with Brothers,” has collaborated with more than 170 barbershops and salons to provide barbers and stylists with health education training. The goal is to address and help reverse rising rates of suicide, one of the leading killers of Black men.
The data underscores why.
Although they take their own lives at lower rates than white men, the suicide rate for Black men jumped almost 25% among Black Americans between 2018 and 2023, with especially sharp increases in teens and young adults. In 2023, roughly 15% of all suicide deaths were among Black people. Suicide rates declined among white people and other groups.
The Stress of Racism
Studies have linked racial discrimination, economic stress, and exposure to violence to symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation in Black men. In fact, research has found that simply the expectation of facing bigotry or discrimination can create enough stress to trigger a physiological reaction.
Yet researchers found that only about one in four Black men ages 18 to 44 who report daily anxiety or depression use mental-health services — a gap driven by stigma, structural barriers, and mistrust.
The connection between guns and suicide also can’t be overlooked. In 2023, about 55% of all suicides involved a firearm; among Black youth, the gun-related suicide rate for children ages 10 to 19 more than tripled since 2014. But, suicide rates declined among whites and other groups.
Leadership Through Barber Shops
In New York City’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in the 1990s, Jerome Archer, owner of Platinum Cuts Inc., saw friends and neighbors fighting the same beasts ravaging other Black neighborhoods—drug addiction and HIV/AIDS.
“My parents met in this neighborhood, so my work is about legacy,” says Archer. Around 1999 or 2000, he said, after a client from The Institute showed him Brooklyn’s skyrocketing HIV rates, “I realized I had a role to play.”
Initially, Archer got involved in HIV prevention, distributing condoms and discussing the disease with clients. Over time, Archer’s shop evolved from an informal community hub to a resource center, addressing topics ranging from sexual health to mental wellness.
“It was a natural fit,” Archer says. “Barbershops are places where conversations are free, trust is deep, and people feel seen,” Archer adds.
The Many Ways to be ‘A Head Shop’
When the COVID pandemic hit, mental health concerns surged. Archer found that the longstanding trust between him and his clients made it easier for them to open up about depression, anxiety, and stress. Like other barbers working with the Ashe Institute, Asher integrated mental health literacy, screening prompts, and referrals into everyday conversations.
“The shift was organic,” Archer says. “Through Barbershop Talk with Brothers, we discussed men’s health, family, and stress. I noticed many clients were struggling silently. [T]hen a friend’s cancer diagnosis made it personal.”
With training and support from the Institute, Archer and other shop owners began helping clients access resources directly, often through a kiosk inside their shops. It allows patrons to privately search for programs that provide food, housing, or counseling, and receive tailored resources or a follow-up from The Institute’s own community health workers.
“Arthur Ashe Institute offered me training and mental health certifications that equipped me to care for others and myself,” says Archer. “Now I see cutting hair as healing work, too.”
If you or someone you know is dealing with mental health issues, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) for immediate, free support. For non-emergency help, consult a primary-care provider about screening and referrals, or contact community programs that partner with trusted neighborhood spaces.