Every chair, every community
Men's health, civic participation, and education on the industry's biggest stage. Here's what Barcos has been building this fall.
A note from our Founding President
This fall, Barcos Foundation put barbers and stylists at the center of two community needs: men's health and civic participation. Since September we have staffed the Michigan Men's Health Event in Detroit, helped launch a statewide barbershop civic coalition with the Michigan Department of State (MDOS), and spoken at three Shop Talks sessions across Detroit and Macomb County.
The barbershop has always been a place where people talk, trust, and get information. Our job is to give the professionals in those chairs the tools and partners to serve their communities well. All of our civic work is strictly nonpartisan: we share accurate voting information and never advocate for or against any candidate or party.
Thank you to every barber, stylist, partner and volunteer who showed up this season.
— Ashley Ramirez, Founding President
Coming up this weekend
Michigan Beauty Show 2026
Ashley Ramirez teaches two Barcos classes on Sunday, October 18.
Sun, Oct 18 · 10:00–10:50am
Building a Registered Apprenticeship: Turning Your Chair Into a Training Ground
How shop owners can train the next generation of licensed barbers and cosmetologists through a USDOL Registered Apprenticeship.
Gallery Overlook FSun, Oct 18 · 3:00–3:50pm
AI in the Chair: The Future of Beauty-Tech & Entrepreneurship
How AI already shows up in scheduling, POS forecasting, content and AR hair and skin analysis, how to use it to run a leaner business, and where the human relationship in the chair can't be automated.
Gallery EMichigan Men's Health Event — Team Waymaster
On September 26, 2026, 11 licensed barbers delivered 100+ free haircuts at Wayne State Fieldhouse and distributed 30 Community Hair Care vouchers. Barcos staffs the grooming operation as Team Waymaster, named for the late barber instructor Chris Waymaster, to honor his legacy, support men's health and raise awareness of pancreatic cancer.
The haircuts draw men into the event, where they also receive free health screenings. At the 2025 event, 1,750 men registered (the largest turnout in the event's 15-year history), and screenings sent 3 men directly to the hospital for immediate care.
New this year: Community Hair Care Partners. Barbers can pledge 10, 20 or 30 free services at their own shops within a year of the event. Men who are not served on site are referred to these partners, so the care continues after the event closes.
Next: the program expands to West Michigan with the Grand Rapids event on November 21, 2026 at DeVos Place. We are recruiting licensed barbers now and seeking support to provide stipends for our volunteer barbers, while keeping every haircut free for participants.
The Shop Talks coalition
Barcos is a founding partner in a nonpartisan coalition that brings voter information into barbershops, salons and community spaces through "Shop Talks." The coalition formed in August 2026 around one idea: barbers and stylists are trusted messengers, and shops can be an official, everyday channel for accurate voting information.
Each partner brings a different strength:
| Partner | What they bring |
|---|---|
| Michigan Department of State (MDOS) | The state agency that runs Michigan elections. David Murray and Mika McAskill (Director of Public Engagement) convene the planning team and bring official voter information to each session. |
| When You Vote I Win (WYVIW) | Charles Thomas Jr.'s get-out-the-vote organization. WYVIW sparked the barbershop tour idea and coordinates free rides to the polls. |
| Speak Life | Led by Todd Williams. Organizes community sessions, including Shop Talks for Returning Citizens. |
| Voting Access for All Coalition (VAAC) | Angela Davenport, Christopher Ford and Robyn lead voter education, event flyers, and the shared events calendar, and coordinate youth and community events. |
| Michigan League of Conservation Voters (MLCV) | Roland Leggett and the MLCV Education Fund moderate sessions, publish registration pages, and co-run the ID clinic. |
| Barcos Foundation | The industry voice. We speak in each session's Industry Talk segment, connect MDOS with shop owners willing to host, and reach barber and cosmetology schools. |
| Just Us Now | Partners with VAAC on resident-focused voter outreach with Detroit Housing Commission communities. |
| Black Voters Matter (BVM) | Hosting a town hall on the state of Black Michigan during the October 25 Party at the Polls. |
What Barcos is working toward with the coalition:
- Formal recognition of barbershops and salons as a nonpartisan voter-engagement channel, with safe-harbor protection for shop owners who host
- A co-branded MDOS/Barcos microcredential, so civic engagement can count toward professional development for barbers and cosmetologists
- MDOS Mobile Unit visits that bring voter services directly to neighborhoods
To protect our team's capacity, Barcos speaks where scheduled, refers hosts from our network, and shares materials. Event logistics stay with the organizing partner.
Shop Talks sessions so far
Barcos has taken part in three Shop Talks sessions since September, each reaching a different community.
September 14, 2026
The District Detroit — Shop Talk Town Hall
The District Detroit Opportunity Center
The first Shop Talk gathered barbershop and salon owners, stylists and trade-school representatives on Woodward Avenue. Ashley Ramirez spoke on the barbering industry's long history of civic engagement. Several shop owners in attendance volunteered to host future sessions, and Barcos passed their contacts to MDOS. Ahead of the event, Barcos also invited Metro Detroit Barber College and Dymond Designs Beauty School instructors and students.
September 28, 2026
Sterling Heights — Sterling Heights African American Coalition
Macomb County
The coalition brought Shop Talks to Macomb County at the invitation of SHAAC. Ashley represented Barcos and stood in for Charles Thomas to introduce When You Vote I Win, and members asked how Shop Talks could come to their own shops. SHAAC leadership thanked the coalition afterward and committed to supporting its work.
October 13, 2026
Horatio Williams Foundation — Shop Talks for Returning Citizens
With the R.A.K.S. Foundation's J.I.L.L. Program
Organized by Speak Life with MDOS and VAAC, this session met justice-impacted residents inside the J.I.L.L. Program, a free space R.A.K.S. co-founder Alicia Hatcher created for healing and fresh starts. Barcos brought Malik McCullough, a longtime community advocate who works alongside New Era Detroit, as a Barcos representative. Barcos has since offered J.I.L.L. participants free haircuts and styling, entrepreneurship training, and information on our registered barber apprenticeship as a path to a license.
Preparing our representatives. On October 12, Barcos sent its representatives a Shop Talks Rep Packet and a visual deck covering talking points, how a session runs, our nonpartisan ground rules and an FAQ, so more of our network can speak confidently on Barcos's behalf.
Partner spotlight · Workforce development nationwide
NERDS RULE INC.
NERDS RULE INC. is one of Barcos's most consistent partners, and our connection to workforce development nationwide. Since 2011, their Workforce Development Division has built career pathways for veterans, returning citizens, single parents and other underserved communities, through skilled-trades training, leadership fellowships, entrepreneurship and financial literacy instruction, mentorship, and job and internship placement.
Barcos works with NERDS RULE INC. to bring barbering and beauty into that national workforce conversation. Together we connect people to licensed careers, registered apprenticeship, and the business training to own a chair or a shop, backed by the mentorship and wraparound support that help people stay on the path.
Explore their workforce programsUpcoming coalition dates
The coalition has six more public events planned before the November 3 general election. Dates and locations can change; the planning team keeps the live calendar.
| Date | Event | Location | Barcos role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Oct 20 9–11am | Mock Election for youth (with MDOS and VAAC) | Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility, 5301 Russell St, Detroit | Barcos representative |
| Thu, Oct 22 5–7pm | Shop Talks for Small Business | Hair Lab Detroit, 15070 Dix Toledo Rd, Southgate | Partner shop host; Barcos network |
| Sun, Oct 25 12:30–4:30pm | Party at the Polls + free early rides to the polls (WYVIW) | 2 Woodward Ave, Detroit (pickups from River Towers, 8330 on the River, Jennings Senior Living, Sheridan Apartments) | Ashley Ramirez |
| Sun, Oct 25 12:30–4:30pm | Party at the Polls + free early rides | Fellowship Chapel, 7707 W Outer Dr, Detroit | Barcos representative |
| Sun, Oct 25 Town Hall 3pm | Black Voters Matter Town Hall on the state of Black Michigan | People's Community Church, 8601 Woodward Ave, Detroit | Attending partner |
| Mon, Oct 26 1–6pm | Community Resource Fair and ID Clinic (with MLCV, VAAC and JFASD) | Conquerors Church, 34375 S Gratiot Ave, Clinton Township | Ashley Ramirez + representative |
WYVIW is also running rides to the polls on October 21 and November 1.
How to get involved
- Barbers and stylists: volunteer for the Grand Rapids Men's Health Event on November 21, or pledge free services as a Community Hair Care Partner.
- Shop owners: host a Shop Talks session or an in-shop voter information visit.
- Schools and community organizations: invite Barcos to speak with your students or members.
- Supporters: help fund stipends for the volunteer barbers who make our free services possible.
To get involved, reach us through barcosfoundation.org or follow @barcosfoundation on Instagram and Facebook.
