Split Ends

Hair is big business here in East Harlem. You can't walk a block without becoming entangled in the wave of hair shops lining the neighborhood streets. So it's no surprise that Cinemax just launched a one-hour documentary examining the role barbershops play on the social fabric of my community. The show, "Cutting Edge", uses the barbershop as a forum for Black male converstation and provides some insights into urban African-American culture. And with the increasing gentrification of Harlem, a number of clients from all walks of life, including a white, gay man, occasionally enter the fray.