The Confess Project advocates for the mental health of Black men across the U.S. by training barbers to listen to and support clients in crisis. Overcoming stigma and structural barriers to mental health care in the Black community, its founder Lorenzo Lewis turns barbershops into community hubs where mental health awareness can flourish—via a network of 1,000 barbers in 40 cities, who in turn reach a million clients per year. Ashoka’s Yeleka Barrett caught up with Lorenzo to learn more.
Yeleka Barrett: Lorenzo, let’s start with the inspiration behind the Confess Project. What problem did you see?
Lorenzo Lewis: To be honest, as a Black man in