 | The Cavalier daily. Tuesday, October 8, 1968 |  |
Barber Bigots
The matter with which the following letter
is concerned is of sufficient significance to
warrant our printing it here rather than in the
letters to the editor column:
At 4:10 p.m. this afternoon (Oct.
2) I witnessed a most unfortunate
incident. A well-dressed Negro boy
about 10 years old entered one of
the barber shops on the Corner to
obtain a hair cut. After several
minutes delay, one of the barbers
walked over with razor in hand and
informed this boy that he could not
have his haircut in their
establishment.
I hope that this boy accepts my
apology as a faculty member for the
actions of one of our "university
community." I certainly shall not
patronize this barber shop again, and
I wonder if the other shops in the
area would express their willingness
to practice non-discrimination.
That this incident occurred right under our
noses is a disgrace to the University, to say the
least. What irony it is that it occurred within
100 yards of the Grounds of the so-called
bastion of intellectuality of the state of
Virginia; what bitter irony it is that it
occurred at the institution so cherished by the
author of those fundamental words, "...all
men are created equal..." We wonder how
long it will be before this institution will, by
its example if not by outright action,
eradicate discrimination of this sort in the
town which it "put on the map." It's
disgustingly disconcerting to discover that this
incident - which anyone can readily imagine
happening in a backwoods Alabama
community - happened right here this week.
We contacted the three barber shops on the
Corner on this matter. Of them, only Jones'
Barber Shop indicated no reluctance to cut
Negroes' hair. The other two gave us flat
"no's" when we asked if they would cut
Negro hair, and one added, "because we don't
know how." What can we say? Until these
people wake up to the times and the
responsibilities thereof, and act accordingly,
no responsible members of the University
community will patronize their
establishments.
| The Cavalier daily. Tuesday, October 8, 1968 | |