Walker’s Barber Shop for WHYY
January, 2020
“At Lance Walker’s barbershop in Chambersburg, Pa., America’s red, blue and other come together under the clippers in Chambersburg, PA.” Laura Benshoff for WHYY
“With homey plaid curtains and a sign that says “No Profanity,” the shop is a place where people with different politics and backgrounds mix. A Guns & Ammo magazine sits on the coffee table, not far from a copy of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by the coffee maker.” Laura Benshoff for WHYY
Lance Walker with a customer at his shop.
Bill Harris doesn’t need a haircut anymore, but he still frequents the barbershop for the conversation. He’s a big liberal who loves to play devil’s advocate.
A handshake with Walker’s customers and those who dropped by just to listen to the conversation.
Lance Walker giving customer Tom Buckus a haircut.
“On a recent afternoon, in this corner of south central Pennsylvania, more than half of the people in the shop came just to listen.
“I take responsibility for creating an atmosphere and being intentional about having conversations, hard conversations,” Walker said. “You see the divide that’s going in the country right now. So, if we don’t start talking and dialoguing and communicating, that’s huge.” Laura Benshoff for WHYY
“As 16-year-old Stephen Fugate got a trim, the conversation moved from whether men should have a say in abortion, to the meaning of “community.”
“If you have more people… who care for each other, that’s a community,” Fugate said.” Laura Benshoff for WHYY
Jacob Bickley, a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, stopped by on his lunch break to check out the conversation at Walker’s.
Clippers hanging behind Lance Walker’s barber chair.