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San Luis Obispo's lack of Black cultural resources is felt in myriad areas, but one in particular is noticed by nearly all Black residents, said Courtney Haile, executive director of R.A.C.E. Matters SLO.
"Where can I get my hair done?" she said. "It's sort of a classic issue. If you ask any Black folks who move to probably any predominantly white community but certainly here, it's just a struggle. It's a real issue to find somewhere to care for our hair."
After stewing on that need for many years, Haile and R.A.C.E. Matters SLO are now poised to open Texture, a salon that will strive to serve Black and other culturally underrepresented customers in downtown San Luis Obispo.
"We have a lot of Black folks in the community who drive to LA, the Bay Area, Sacramento, and the valley [to get their hair cut]. It's very common," Haile said. "There is certainly hair being done here, but it is a numbers thing. We have a really low Black population, so we have a smaller amount of stylists who can do our hair."
Stationed in the building that last housed SLO Fish & BBQ at 474 Marsh St., Texture will serve two functions: The salon side will rent space to local and traveling stylists, and the other side will serve as a meeting and event space.
As it enters its eighth year as a nonprofit, R.A.C.E. Matters SLO has not yet had a physical office or building to call home. While the Texture space isn't huge—it's about 1,200 square feet—Haile said that the layout is ideal for meetings and intimate events.
"We'll look forward to hosting gatherings and topical discussions and different events that especially center the Black community and Indigenous and other people of color as well," she said. "The idea is because we have the physical space now, we can do more programming and spread it out more, and maybe have it be more intimate."
R.A.C.E. Matters is hosting a ribbon cutting and grand opening for Texture on June 2 starting at 5:30 p.m. Attendees can enjoy music, refreshments, and social festivities.
"It's open to all," Haile said.
The salon is expected to get up and running this summer, Haile said, with a goal of filling both a practical and cultural need in the community. R.A.C.E. Matters hopes Texture can play the role that barbershops historically have in Black communities across the country.
"They were never just places to receive personal services," Haile said. "Traditionally they have been—especially in the past, with more overt racism—sanctuaries, literal safe spaces, spaces for lively dialogue, debates, storytelling, even organizing.
"There's a lot of pain and joy associated with our hair within our community. There have been plenty of documentaries, many a book [written on it]. There's emotion tied to it. There's our history.
"And so with that cultural and historical lens, Texture is also a community space that harkens back to the cultural space that salons and barbershops historically created."
To support Texture's launch, R.A.C.E. Matters applied for and received diversity, equity, and inclusion grants from both the city of San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly. That funding is expected to sustain it for at least a year, and the nonprofit will look to the community for continued support as time goes on.
Haile said that the stylists who work out of the building will operate just like they would in any other space: building up a clientele, setting prices, and paying rent. R.A.C.E. Matters will then plan its events and programming to share the space with the broader community.
"We were really lucky to be able to rent that space," Haile said. "There'll be a divider so that we can use the room for events and whatnot, but also have a dedicated salon space that has more privacy. There's a nice outdoor area as well. It's nice that it's downtown but off the beaten path—a place we were able to afford and, hopefully, sustain."
• On June 2—Hunger Awareness Day—residents across SLO County can receive one-on-one assistance applying for CalFresh food benefits. SLO Food Bank and Department of Social Services workers will be available at five libraries: in Atascadero, Morro Bay, SLO, Nipomo, and Arroyo Grande. Drop-in appointments will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 pm. (and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Arroyo Grade). Individuals should come ready with ID, proof of income, and Social Security or legal resident identification, according to the Food Bank. Δ
Reach Assistant Editor Peter Johnson at [email protected].