Whites Only sign in Lafayette

[benito]

While I do not approve of the sign, I can (and anyone who lives down here) can understand it. If you live down here you know that we have some older guys that started cutting hair 30 or 40 years ago. They only know 2 styles. Flat top or 'just a little off the top'. If you live down here you know which barber shops cater to who.
Would it shock you if he called the newsroom himself? Business is business and he just got a free commercial on KATC's dime.

At lease he's not flying that idiot banner (confederate flag) over his shop.


http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=4016414
A "whites only" sign at a barber shop on Moss Street in Lafayette might grab your attention and take you back to the Civil Rights era.

This afternoon, a viewer called our newsroom appalled. We checked it out and found that barber Herbert Leger put the sign up Saturday morning after having to over and over again turn down customers he says he's not qualified to help.

Herbert Leger: The difference is the technique that you use and they have special technique for cutting black people's hair. Just like there's a special technique for cutting white people's hair. I don't have the training, I don't have the experience, I don't have the knowledge and the technique used in cutting black people's hair.

Leger says he did not intend for the sign to offend anyone. He also says when a customer walks in he can't help, he sends him to his barber friend across the street.

[LA lady]

1. How about funeral homes?

When we were arranging my Dad's funeral, we were talking with the director and I just HAD to ask him if they embalmed black people. He looked at me real funny and said very politely that they certainly would but that they didn't have the cosmetics and pastes to do the make-up and their hair dresser had no skills with black hair. I really can understand the problems here. I wish I had asked him if they were trained in mortuary school. (This was 20 years ago)

I think this barber just needs to word his sign to say "I will serve anyone but have limited skills with African-American hair styles". Do others find that offensive?

[I_Make_Mistakes]

2. You know, it probably isn't racial. My neighbors years ago were

interracial, and the white woman had no clue what to do with her little girls hair. There is a difference, and she was not willing to subject her daughter to a perm bad chemicals for anyone at 3 yrs. old so she just chopped it.

Hair is a very special white/black issue, not sure about Latino, Asian etc., but if you ever told my neighbor she didn't care about her daughters, she would go ballistic. She actually braided her girls hair (lots) that would give them headaches.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. Its arguably worse for women

Ethnic hair (that is the term used in the profession so don't jump on me for it) styling techniques are different than Caucasian or Oriental hair. One of my daughters had "ethnic hair" like her mother, the other had thick waves (like me). They went to different salons not due to racism, but expertise. Where we had issues is when we lived internationally. A stylist who is trained for ethnic hair in Okinawa is hard to find.

[benito]

3. slight update

http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=4039087



(KATC) - New information on the Moss Street barbershop that advertised haircuts for "whites only."

Barber Herbert Leger says neighborhood vandals ripped the letters off the sign in front of the barbershop.

He says the police are investigating.

In the meantime, his battered sign sits next to his shop, and a new one has been place in front of the business. It doesn't carry the "whites only" message.

On Tuesday, Leger told KATC TV-3 he doesn't racially discriminate.. He says he just hasn't been trained to cut black mens hair.