NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) —Rebecca Washington is the CEO of Washington Academy of Barbering and Arts. She is highly skilled and acclaimed in both her barbering and teaching methods. She grew up in New Orleans East.
The road to redemption is not afforded to everyone. As Washington sees the high crime rates in her city, she is reminded of her own story.
Rebecca found a savior in cutting and styling hair of all types.
“I’ve been in New Orleans East since I was 13 years old. I don’t look like what I’ve been through. I had gotten into trouble at one point that led me to becoming a barber,” says Rebecca.
As a teenager, Rebecca told her parents she was attracted to other girls. The response was her being put out of the house. Rebecca then moved in with a friend of one of her cousins. Her life would then be in the greatest peril it had ever been in.
Rebecca vividly remembers saying, “he told me he wanted me to bring him somewhere that night to Taco Bell. As I pulled up to the drive-through, he said he was about to rob the joint, and pulled out a gun underneath the seat. He robbed them through the drive-through window. He shot the girl in her face. He stole her car and beat me to the house.”
In the stolen car was many of the belongings of the woman who was shot, including a cellphone. Rebecca later accepted the cellphone and used it. The cellphone was one of the main reasons, she would now face prison.
“I was facing armed robbery. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have come from a very good household. My parents helped me financially to fight the charge. Some people don’t get that second chance. My barbering school in New Orleans East, is part of giving second chances,” says Rebecca.
“Barbering is a great craft. I love the feeling of being able to change the lives and perceptions of those who sit in my chair. Sometimes people get a haircut just to feel good about themselves. My students see what I can do and know I will teach them the very best,” says Rebecca.
Rebecca’s road to barbering was not easy. Barbering is one of the few professions in the health and wellness industry that is mostly male-driven.
Reflecting back on her accomplishments Rebecca says, “coming up in the barbering game, people would pass me up just because I was a woman, thinking I didn’t know what I was doing. I am very proud of myself. I am the female that can stand next to a guy and do better than them. I am one of the greatest barbers in New Orleans. Here I am today, 27 years later, still cutting hair.”