As of the spring 2022 semester, there are 25,000 students at Fresno State. Only 700 of them are Black students. Of those 700, only 70 of them aren’t student-athletes.
Seventy Black students on a 1400-acre campus that spans each corner of its vicinity with thousands of students.
“It feels like you’re on an island,” said Dessalines Yamoussou, 34, editor-in-chief of Fresno State’s Uhuru Na Umoja newspaper.
He said he is worried about the Black male experience at Fresno State after sharing his own recollections.
“There is a problem there,” Yamoussou said.
“I don’t see enough Black males on campus. I’ve barely had any Black classmates, let alone my professors. I still remember my first year at Fresno State; I didn’t talk to anyone because I just felt so alone. I felt so isolated.”
Yamoussou said being alone during his first few years at Fresno State was the worst feeling he had ever experienced. He said he is not the only Black male on campus that experiences these struggles.
A change was necessary for the progression of Black males at Fresno State, and that was the goal Dr. Ramar Henderson said he had in mind when creating Barbershop Talks.
In fall 2021, Henderson, assistant professor in the Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program at Fresno State, created a discussion group at Fresno State which aims to provide a safe space for Black males on campus to discuss anything and everything.
“When you think of a Black barbershop, it’s one of the only places Black males can come and speak to their fellow brothers about anything at all. And that is what we are doing with Barbershop Talks,” Henderson said.
“This is a place where Black men can come together and share similar experiences; it is a place where Black men can talk about their day. They can talk about what is bothering them in class; they can even attend just to listen to the testimonies of other males in the Fresno State Black community.”
He also highlighted the importance of Barbershop Talks’ prevalence. As the Black male population continues to remain an overwhelming minority on campus, Henderson wants them to know they are not alone in their struggles.
Henderson said it’s important to hear what is on the minds of these students: the pain, the trauma and the overwhelming feelings of isolation Black males experience regularly.
All of these discussions are necessary for building strong, tightly-knit connections within the Barbershop Talks community, the professor said.
“When you begin speaking about your experiences, you will realize that all of us Black males have experienced the same issues. And that is what is important here, realizing that we are all together in this,” Henderson said.
Barbershop Talks has remained a big part of Yamoussou’s time here at Fresno State, as he remains one of the most active members of the discussion group.
Since joining last fall, Yamoussou said he’s had gratifying comments about Barbershop Talks. He has met so many new people, learned so many new things, and most importantly, he noticed how Barbershop Talks has changed the lives of so many other attendees.
“And the beautiful thing is, we are actively growing. From only an initial four members, we now can fill up a classroom. From only meeting monthly not too long ago, we now meet weekly because it is just that engaging,” Yamoussou said.
Yamoussou encourages more Black males at Fresno State to join as they “finally have something we can belong to.”
“I believe that pain is so much harder to face alone. With Barbershop Talks, we take all of our struggles and lift them together. It is a place where we all feel good, we feel celebrated, and it is also a place where we can talk about things that are important to us,” said Henderson.
He concluded, “And that is why I will always be an advocate for Barbershop Talks.”
Barbershop Talks is headed by the Cross-Cultural and Gender Center’s African American Programs and Services, and is held on Thursdays at noon in the Harambee Room, room 109, in the Thomas Building.
