- Geno Williams gives a haircut to a Vicksburg Intermediate School student on Monday. Headquarters Barber and Beauty Salon was on site at VIS offering students free haircuts. (Terri Cowart Frazier/The Vicksburg Post)
Music was playing and trimmers were buzzing at Vicksburg Intermediate School, after a classroom was transformed into a barber shop.
On Monday, barbers from the Headquarters Barber and Beauty Salon set up shop at the school to provide free hair cuts for students. More than 20 students from both VIS and Dana Road Elementary took advantage of their services.
“This is something we do to give back to the community,” Headquarters Barber and Beauty Salon owner Geno Williams said.
Haircuts can be costly, VIS principal Lakesha Batty said — anywhere from $15 to $40, depending on the cut and style.
To help ease the financial burden on parents, seven barbers from Headquarters Barber and Beauty Salon decided to donate their services to others. Williams said this is the third time they have provided students with haircuts at the school.
“It feels good to do something for others,” he said, adding that he hopes his efforts and those of the other barbers cutting hair on Monday will serve as a catalyst for others to give back. “This is something our community needs and that’s why we are giving back.”
The free haircuts were offered to all students at VIS and Dana Road. All that was required was a permission slip filled out by a parent. Genoa Williams III said has been cutting hair for three years and Monday’s work was “fun.”
“I feel like it is fun because they (the students) come in here happy to get a haircut,” he said. “And it’s fun because I’m giving back.”
Batty said she was “thankful” for their community partner, the Headquarters Barber and Beauty Salon. The barbers were equally grateful for the opportunity to do it.
“It makes me feel blessed,” barber Eric Christopher said.
The students receiving a free haircut also appeared grateful, because whether it was a fade, a taper or a sponge cut, one could see it in their smiling faces.
With R&B music playing and students sitting on chairs and stacked crates getting haircuts while others were lined up waiting their turn, Batty said, the ambience was reflective of going to a barber shop.
“This is the vibe you get (at a barber shop),” Batty said.
About Terri Cowart Frazier
Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”
Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.
Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.
Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.
“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’
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