In the deeply segregated American South of the 19th century, one profession offered Black men a surprising path toward independence, prosperity, and even wealth.
The opportunity existed, ironically, because of the very racial attitudes that otherwise worked against them. And succeeding required more than just skill with a razor. It meant learning how to navigate a complicated and dangerous relationship with some of the wealthiest and most powerful white men in the community.
In Atlanta, the remarkable skills of two barbers turned that opportunity into something much greater. And the story of one of them left behind a mystery that survives to this day.
It’s a story about race, ambition, survival…and the mask sometimes worn on the road to success on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
