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THE HAIR SALONS OF NEWARK
By Farrah Hamlett ~ Reprinted from The Newark Metro.
Not simply a place to get a press-and-curl or a new cut, barber shops and beauty parlors have long
provided a place for people to gather and talk, sharing political insights, town gossip, and whatever else
might be on their minds. A visit to the hairdresser’s became a standard ritual as black men and women
congregated in these parlors. I remember my first visit to the salon; I was instructed to mind my manners
and to read my book while waiting. That didn’t happen!
I was so enthralled by the clicking of the curling irons, the steam pouring from that hot stove, the humming of
hair dryers, and the occasional “Chile,” followed by incessant laughter.
The most interesting was indeed, the town gossip, “Girl you know she wears a weave, that aint her real hair.”
Or “I wonder what man she’ll be dating next.” All conversations weren’t that superficial though, the beauty shop
was one of the first places that I heard a large gathering of women discussing political issues ranging from health
care, to education, and housing.
These very salons came to provide a unique social function within the community. Whether a large salon, or a
small establishment in a woman’s kitchen, the beauty parlors, were one of the most important institutions within
the black community.
Madam C.J. Walker, a daughter of former slaves transformed her life from that of an uneducated farm laborer,
into one of the twentieth century’s most successful entrepreneurs. In a speech given on July 1912, Walker gave
a spoke to the National Negro Business League Convention stating, “I am a woman who came from the cotton fields
of the south. From there, I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from
there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations.... I have built my own factory
on my own ground."
In one of the most unlikely places, a business enterprise based on something as frivolous as hairstyling became a
platform for black women to escape the economic limitations imposed by racism, and in turn built enduring institutions
that challenged the social discourse of their respective communities, and the larger political arena, as well.
However, Black women represent less than 10% of the population, but outspend other women by a factor of two to six
times when it comes to hair care. Hair care is deeply embedded in our culture as India Arie so eloquently described in
“I Am Not My Hair”.
Many women in the salon expressed the same sentiment with justifications that “A woman’s hair is her crown,” and “We
express our beauty and creativity with our hair.”
This is tremendous spending power that is being spent largely outside of the African American community. The vast
majority of the money spent by black women on their hair is going to large white-owned corporations, and to Asians who
have effectively cornered the market on distribution and retail of black hair care products. How did it end up this way?
Many that are patrons of Beauty Supply Stores, oftentimes buy from the source that is the least expensive and most
convenient. And more than ninety percent of the time that it is going to be the Asian Beauty Supply store on the corner or
the White-owned grocery or drug store.
Free market is a wonderful thing. It presents us with almost unlimited choices and opportunities as consumers. But
there are also responsibilities that go along with being a consumer. Are you spending your dollars wisely? When you
spend your money, is your spending in line with your values? You might not have considered how buying a bottle of
shampoo or a relaxer is a moral decision. But, on some level, it is.
For those that patronize Boswell’s Hair & Boutique located on 1040 Bergen Street. You don’t have to look any further for
a Full-Service Salon and Supply. Hair color, extensions, colorful scarves, and those beautiful “church lady” hats that fill
the congregations can be found at the front entrance to the Salon. Mrs. Olivia Daughtey had the same aspirations to give
back to her community by offering Beauty Supplies that catered to the needs of African American women when she took
over the ownership of the Salon seven years ago. Olivia, through her salon, has found a way to serve Newark’s community,
to help a few small manufacturers that she represents, to provide a living for her family, and to raise productive members
of the community.
Boswell’s Hair & Boutique, an establishment that has served in the community of Newark’s South Ward for more than fifty
plus years, continues to serve as a pillar of the community. Olivia remembers her first time in Boswell’s Salon after branching
out to teach at Wilfred Academy. But admits she kept coming back to the parlor because “I was needed more in the parlor
and this is where my heart lies,” she said. She was captivating and tenacious as she states, “When I first came to Boswells
Hair & Boutique I thought it was the most beautiful place I’d ever been, and I knew this was where I was supposed to be. In
all my years of making women look beautiful I never knew how it would turn out, but the most important thing is that I never
gave up on my dream.”
Olivia Daughty, a small woman with a funky copper Tina Turner inspired hairdo also known as “Queen Olivia,” traveled from
North Carolina not knowing that she would continue to carry the torch in the survival of African American establishments in
the South Ward community and live out her dreams at Boswell’s Hair &Boutique.
In spite of all the changes in African American Hair and Beauty Culture, Barber Shops and Beauty Salons have retained their
cultural status in the Black Community. Olivia testifies to the strength and respect that the name Boswell’s carries as she
relishes with joy over her long-standing position in the community. “Boswell represents highly on the streets of Bergen and I
intend to keep it that way,” she said.
Despite the economic conditions, drug pandemic, the riots that damaged a great deal of Newark and what Mrs. Daughtey
refers to as “kitchen beauticians,” she insists that, “Everything I have, I got it from Newark: my pastor, my church, my
community, and my friends. You always hear about all the negative things in Newark, but I love Newark and I wouldn’t want
to be anywhere else.”
Hair Salons remain among the most successful Black Businesses in most cities, and even African Americans who have
moved to predominately white suburbs often return to urban neighborhoods to get their hair done. Once there, the Salon
provides them with welcome re-connections to the community. They also serve as a source of personal empowerment
and as Mrs. Olivia Daughtey demonstrates, it provides a platform on which to build institutions and change communities.
By Farrah Hamlett ~ Reprinted from The Newark Metro.
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