Black Maine residents struggle to find access to hair care

BANGOR, ME — 2020 Census Bureau reported that blacks made up 12.4 percent of Maine’s total population. The state’s small black population impacts access to simple self-care needs, such as hair care.

Finding proper hair care for black and brown people is difficult—University of Maine men’s basketball head coach Chris Markwood knows this struggle all too well.

“I feel like I’m always looking for something in Maine,” Markwood said.

Mark Wood spent most of his childhood in Portland. When he was growing up, he was fortunate to have a few barbershops in the city with skilled barbers who could give him a good cut, but he said there was “very little” accessibility or choice.

Markwood said when he attended the University of Maine, he cut his own hair in his dorm room because there were no barbershops in the Orono area to go to.

Now, as the head coach, Mark Wood recruits basketball players from all over the country. Markwood said what doesn’t take care of Black hair is the conversations he has with potential players during the recruiting process.

“I think this is something that gets touched on pretty early in the process because it comes up a lot,” Marwood said. “People are wondering, ‘Can I find a barber in this area?'”

The desire to look good and feel good about oneself varies from person to person, whether it’s a black college basketball player, a hardworking black mother with children, or a black businessman working in corporate America. there is no.

Stylist Angela Okafer has lived in Maine for 10 years. She runs Tropical Tastes and Styles, a hair braiding shop in Bangor.

Okafer said her customers are always relieved to know she has a braid shop in the area.

Okafer said her clients would pay for gas and round-trip plane tickets to travel hours away to Portland, Boston, or even New York just to find someone who is good at styling black hair and is experienced. He says he has spent hundreds of dollars.

Okafar said she receives many reservations from pregnant women who need their hair braided before giving birth, and women who have survived abuse and are recovering.

There are only three or four stylists in Bangor who provide hair care services for black women, so Okafer sometimes works longer hours per week if needed.

“A woman contacted me and she said her son was about to have a very serious surgery and all he wanted was to get his hair done,” Okafar said. Ta. “I had to do my hair on a day I wasn’t working.”

There is only one barber school in Maine, located in Augusta. Barber Jake Stanley said that when he attended the school, he was only taught verbally how to cut black hair, and practical learning was limited.

Mr. Stanley is an independent barber contractor with Brick City Barber Company. He says he learned how to cut black hair by cutting hair at a discount, after being honest with black customers that he had no experience at the time.

“If you’re going to work and make money, if you’re going to support yourself and support your family, you have to be versatile,” Stanley says. “And we don’t just cut fades. You know, we can cut everyone’s hair.”

Jordan Guy is also a barber at Brick City Barber Company. He said he believes the biggest reason it’s difficult to find stylists and barbers who can work with African-American hair is because Maine’s black population is small.

In addition to simply having fewer Black people in the state, Guy said he doesn’t believe there is a real desire to create more space for diversity in Maine.

“I think it’s unfortunate,” Guy said. “I’m not saying that areas of Maine are stuck in old habits or old-fashioned habits, but I think there needs to be a willingness to adapt and draw more people to those areas, and I don’t “I don’t think that’s necessarily a priority. ”

Guy said a lack of appetite for growing Maine’s smaller cities and increasing access to the needs of existing Black communities makes it difficult to change and improve the culture of certain areas. .

Okafer said when black people can’t find something simple they need, they tend to pick it up and move elsewhere.

“If you can’t get what you need to feel good or for your kids to feel good about themselves, they’re likely to start looking for alternatives.” Okafer says. “So this is really important and important. It’s not just about building community, it’s about keeping people here. That’s what we really need in this area. ”

Stanley said he doesn’t blame black men who are hesitant or unwilling to take the risk of getting their hair cut by a new barber who may not have much experience cutting their hair. He said everyone is welcome at Brick City Barber Company and that the in-house barbers do their best to be a trusted option.

Markwood said she has more options now than when she was a student. He is now able to introduce players to his two trusted barbers.

If you’re looking for black hair care options, check out our recommended list below to find barbers and stylists in the Bangor area.

• 88 S. Main St., Brewer, ME 04412
• 207-356-8752
• Jett, Jake Stanley, Jordan Guy

• 89 Central St., Bangor, ME 04401
• 207-573-4246
• mike howell
• Call or text to reserve: 337-255-0041

tropical flavor and style

• 347 Harlow St., Bangor, ME 04401
• 207-217-2523
• Angela Okafer

• Send us a message on Instagram to make a reservation @suzest14

The Good Hair Room – Hot Heads Salon

• 391 N. Main St., Brewer, ME 04412
• 207-605-6077
• Caitlin Demons: Reservations can be made through the link in my Instagram profile

• 415 Cumberland Ave., Portland, ME 04101
• 916-303-3002

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