21 Years: Faded And Educated Free Community Haircuts

Barbers from across the state are coming together to get students ready to head back to the classroom.

“Man, I’ve always had a passion, definitely for cutting hair and doing hair,” said barber, Henry “Duce” Talley.

He opened his Twice The Cuts hair salon and eventually added Twice the Cuts School of Cosmetology.

“You know a haircut can do a lot for you as far as your confidence and for your self-esteem, you know if you look good you feel good,” said Talley.

He began getting a yearly phone call from his aunt, a schoolteacher.

“She would call me right before school would start, a couple of days and she knew some kids that might need haircuts for school,” said Talley.

It was through those phone calls, that Duce, as they know him, began to understand that the need was bigger than he realized, his mind was set to go as big, and the need demanded.

“The first year we did it and we would just have games, like the Nintendo games or PlayStation games and we started out in the salon,” said Talley.

Twenty-one years later they have grown from eighty kids to around six hundred.

“The official name is the twenty-first annual faded and educated back to school free haircut day,” said Talley.

About eighty barbers and forty hairstylists coming together from all over the metro will take over the Star Spencer High School gym and parking lot.

“We do free haircuts and free hairstyles for the boys and girls, we do carnival rides, we feed everybody in attendance, we bring in speakers in to talk to the kids about the value of education,” said Talley.

“Tables set up giving out resources to the community, backpacks, school supplies,” said Ayana Talley, Duce’s wife.   

All of this and more happening Sunday from nine to two at Star Spencer High School

“Everywhere they turn someone is encouraging them, and telling them “Hey you look good, you’re going to have a great school year,” said Ayana.

It’s all free and open to everyone.

“You should come out and see it, have a great time,” said Talley’s daughter Lauren.