Conscious Heads
July 2020
Greetings to each of you in our Community,
In these very challenging times, it is my hope that this Newsletter finds you well, safe and in good spirits.
It is my pleasure to welcome Jabari Natur to our family community. Jabari is the owner and operator of Conscious Heads Barber Shop located in Baltimore Maryland.
As the fiscal sponsor, our Foundation was recently awarded a grant for Jabari’s community-based training program — “Conscious Heads Barbering Boot Camp.”
This program is for both African American males and females. The goal is that ALL program participants become licensed master barbers and stylists. This is the second year of the program and the grant award will enable us to enroll 10 participants this year. Last year, seven of 10 participants graduated from the program. As previously stated, the goal for this year is a success/graduation rate of 100 percent.
The program structure goes beyond job training and licensure. It embodies development of entrepreneurial skills and the recognition of the Black pioneers of the industry — pioneers such as Madame C. J. Walker. We believe in the importance of knowing our past, and creating a pathway to a future of prosperity.
About Jabari
Jabari has been an activist for over 25 years in the Black community. His approach is not one of “speaking about our community” but rather “promoting involvement and investment in our community.”
A few of his noteworthy accomplishments include:
- Development and implementation of a prison self-empowerment program for inmates of the Jessup Correctional Institution in Maryland. The focus was to prepare Black men for re-entry into the community. The program promoted an awareness of our existence in today’s society via the formation of Black history study groups — enabling the inmates to learn more about our contributions to society.
- Establishment of a lecture series that has spanned more than 25 years — that dealt with issues relating to our existence as Blacks in America and the history of Blacks in the world setting. Featured speakers have included Sistah Soljah (activist and author), Dick Gregory (civic rights activist), Dr. Frances Cress Welsing (Afrocentrist psychiatrist), Dr. Claud Anderson (author) and Ashra Kwesi (lecturer on African history, civilization & religion).
- Publication of the Black Power Resource Guide which supports Black businesses.
As the Foundation’s President, I have supported Jabari and a number of his programs for most of his 25 years of service to our Black community. I am excited about this joint and worthwhile venture. I know that we ALL look forward to the success of this current venture, and hope that it will inspire you to contribute to as well as invest in our Foundation. It remains a moral and economic imperative that WE support, invest and participate in the prosperity of our local Black community. So, once again, Jabari Natur, we welcome you to our family!!!
Peace and blessings to All and Always,
