Amy Nelson Content Creations

It’s hard to imagine the various privileges white people have until they come face to face with them. I have always been able to get my hair cut at any salon, however this is not the same reality for some Winona State University students. Being located in the rural river valley between Minnesota and Wisconsin, many students of color need to travel several hours for a trim.

I had the chance to face my privileges head-on this year by organizing a pop-up barber shop event with my team at WSU’s Health & Wellness Services. This event brought together the community by supporting a local Black barber, Uncle Gill, and promoting men of color’s mental health.

During the morning hours, we transformed what is known as the WELL to WSU students into a barber shop where students could sign up to receive a free haircut on campus.

We additionally sought out donations from businesses in the community to offer a raffle to further support students of color on our campus. Our on-campus partners offered snacks and refreshments, which helped to truly transform our space into hang out zone for the day.

During the event, I was able to have some one-on-one time with Uncle Gill himself, where he shared with me the true meaning of community. As I was snapping photos to use as promo, he reminded me to represent the event as it is – people of all skin colors coming together, not just Black people. Because at the end of the day, that’s what reality looks like, right?

As I had spent the semester studying DEI, Uncle Gill’s words taught me something that no textbook could ever teach. Community doesn’t have a specific skin color, nor does inclusion. If you focus too hard by cropping out the whiteness or blackness of reality, then it is no longer reality.

My learning about other people, their lived experiences, and facing my white privileges does not stop here. I am thankful to have been a part of an event to show up for those who needed hope at a time of political chaos. I hope to continue using my lens and my craft to represent reality for how it is, not how I want to portray it.