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In the early 20th century, African American entrepreneurship expanded and many new businesses were established. In cities and towns, these areas included barber shops and beauty salons, which quickly became unique spaces for social discussion and support. Customers could receive barber service and also talk about important issues in the community.
By the early 1920s, the African American community of Independence Heights was thriving with dozens of businesses. In 1954, Alvin E. Jackson (1917-1999), and his family began work on a two-story building which featured a barber shop and two rental apartments. Later that year, Jackson's Barber Shop and Beauty Salon opened.
Jackson's Barber Shop quickly became a meeting place for the community and a symbolic cultural center. Located on historic Church Row, the shop opened its space to church events and meetings, supporting the spiritual needs of the community. During, before and after the Civil Rights era, the barber shop and beauty salon served as a safe space to express and discuss economic, political and social concerns among family, friends and neighbors.
Alvin Jackson and his wife Viola (Roquemore) Jackson and the shop were active in the community through mentor programs, fundraising, free back to school haircuts and involvement with the Houston NAACP. Since the 1950s, Jackson's Barber Shop & Beauty Salon has served the community through its employment of more than 75 barbers and community service to thousands. It remains an important cultural center where generations are brought together with shared and remembered experiences. (2019) |
