Birmingham salon hosts church group to boost voter turnout

Etheridge Beauty Salon and Etheridge Barbershop in downtown Birmingham opened their doors to a church outreach group this past Friday to help local residents find their polling places.

The initiative brought members of Sixth Avenue Baptist Church’s Faith and Policy Committee into the busy salon floor. They placed sample ballots and voter information sheets on the counters. This allowed clients to check their precincts while waiting for haircuts and fades.

The event took place on Friday, the day before the Magic City Classic. That football game between Alabama State and Alabama A&M universities at Legion Field wrapped up a week of local events. It also fell on Halloween. Many clients wore costumes as they waited for service.

Salon owner Wilma Moore said the high cost of living keeps many people from making it to the polls. She noted that customers often skip hair appointments to pay bills. "The issues with me right now is the high cost of living and it’s not only affects people, it affects your business," Moore said.

Curtis Pickens, a registered lobbyist and church member, led the outreach effort. He emphasized that state legislative decisions impact daily life areas like health and schools. "Whether it be health issues, environmental issues, or school choice, everything that happens at the legislative level affects people," Pickens said.

The group included advocates of varying ages. The oldest participant was 80-year-old Mozella Pack. The youngest was Jordan Davis, a law school graduate who started his activism in the NAACP Youth Council. Davis targeted younger voters who might feel their vote does not matter. "For Gen Z and millennials who feel that their voices and their vote don’t matter, the future is literally in our hands," Davis said.

Willie Etheridge, who runs the business passed down from his father, said the shop welcomed the group to reach both ready voters and those who feel ignored. He believes elected leaders need to prove they care about daily life issues. "People want to know do the politicians care because the people care," Etheridge said.