Barbershop Conversations: Advancing Trust, Knowledge, and Equity in Clinical Trials

"Representation Matters in Cancer Research" by Venazir Martinez at Cosey's Barbershop in Baton Rouge, LA.

This season, The Walls Project partnered with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center to bring an honest, necessary conversation to a place that has always held space for truth: the barbershop. As part of The Walls Project's ongoing effort to increase diverse representation in clinical trials, we hosted a series of candid community conversations in barbershops across Baton Rouge, spaces that have long served as cultural bastions in Black American life, where hard conversations can be held without pretense.

The urgency is real. Colorectal cancer has become a rising and deeply concerning threat for Black American men, who face higher rates of diagnosis and mortality compared to other groups. Clinical trials, one of the most powerful tools for discovering more effective treatments, cannot be equitable if the people most affected are missing from the research. But participation is a matter of trust, history, and whether communities feel seen in the process.

That is why we chose the barbershop. Not as a gimmick, but as an acknowledgment of where Black American dialogue and decision-making naturally occur. Our facilitators listened as clients and stylists shared their experiences, their fears, their skepticism, and their hopes for better health outcomes. They unpacked barriers, from medical mistrust and misinformation to transportation challenges and the absence of culturally competent care. And they did so in an environment where their voices held weight and dignity.

The videos (above) from our final session captures the heart of this approach: real people, speaking plainly about what it would take to build confidence in clinical research and in the healthcare systems that rely on it. 

Our commitment moving forward is clear. Mary Bird Perkins will continue building pathways for representation in clinical trials, not by asking communities to come to us, but by showing up where they already are, barbershops, churches, neighborhood centers, and trusted local hubs. The Walls Project will continue designing community-based engagement strategies that honor culture while pushing for systemic equity.

These barbershop conversations are a beginning, not an endpoint, and we’re grateful to every participant who trusted us enough to speak openly. Their insight will guide the next phase of this work, ensuring that the future of cancer research reflects the communities it intends to serve.