Many middle-school boys have memories of barbershop haircuts. But for one boy, his most memorable cut happened elsewhere. Anthony Moore is a student at Stonybrook Intermediate and Middle School, and like many boys his age, he occasionally struggles with his confidence. This explains why last February he was confronted to remove his hat, a choice that placed him in defiance of the school’s dress code.

Moore caught the attention of Jason Smith, the principal at Stonybrook. Smith said, “I sat across from him and asked, 'What's wrong? Why are you being defiant, why are you refusing to take your hat off? It's a pretty simple request. And he explained that his parents took him to get a haircut and he didn't like the results."

What Moore didn’t know is that his principal, Mr. Smith, moonlights as a barber. "I told him, 'Look, I've been cutting hair since I was your age,' and I showed him pictures of my son's haircuts that I did and some of me cutting hair in college. And I said, 'If I run home and get my clippers and fix your line, will you go back to class? He hesitated but then he said yes."

After getting his parents’ consent, Smith retrieved the clippers and fixed Moore’s haircut. Smith said, “He didn't say straight out, but I feel like he didn't want to be laughed at. The barbershop and haircuts as Black males are very important in the community and looking your best and being sharp--it's just a cultural aspect."

As I read this story, I was reminded of the great responsibility that we have to one another as human beings. God allows us the opportunities to reach out to those around us, every day.

If you'd like to see a short video clip of this amazingly kind-hearted principal, you can see that by clicking the following link.

"Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."  Galatians 6:2