Meet The 60-Year-Old Black Barber with Only One Functioning Arm

Harold Brown, a 60-year-old New York City barber, claims to be “the best one-armed barber in the world.” He continues to impress as an instructor at the American Barber Institute, despite using only his right arm to deal with the razor.

Brown, who was brought into the world with a nonfunctioning passed on arm because of a congenital abnormality, got through various hardships growing up in Jamaica Queens. He was called harsh insults, which left him feeling the need to substantiate himself all the time. He then drifted off into a life of crime, spending over 30 years in and out of prison.

While incarcerated, an individual inmate named Desperado taught him how to trim hair, which altered his life. Brown improved his talents through perseverance and repetition, eventually learning to work with all hair types.

“I was tired of doing wrong. I needed to do something right in life. I was at rock bottom and in jail. I had nothing, nowhere to turn,” he told PIX11.

Brown returned to society and discovered his calling in barbering. He began his career in a Harlem barbershop and eventually became a teacher at Manhattan’s American Barber Institute. He fostered a passion for teaching others and gladly shared his insight with his understudies.

Despite having only one arm, Brown never saw it as a major hindrance to his profession.

“I never had two hands to use in learning the craft of barbering, so I always had to use one hand,” he said. “I had to learn to use a razor and had to learn how to use the machines. Once I learned it, I got it. The hardest part about cutting hair with one arm is when a person sees you with one arm and doubts you.”

Brown, like many barbers, is recognized for his precision. Each barber, he feels, should have a “razor hand.” Brown is pleased with his understudies, for example, Humberto Heras, who currently teaches the craft.

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“Despite what anyone else might think of you, if you love yourself and believe in yourself, you can make it,” Brown said.

Written by Ghana Education News Editorial Staff

The Ghana Education News Editorial Staff is comprised of seasoned education consultants, policy analysts, and verified journalists dedicated to providing accurate, timely, and credible updates on the Ghanaian GES curriculum, WAEC updates, and academic leadership.