It\u2019s a Thursday morning at Tommy\u2019s Barbershop in North Philadelphia. It\u2019s late morning, around 10:00 am, and the place is empty but for one gentleman eating what looks like either a late breakfast or early lunch.<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, Joel Michel, a Temple Law 3L, walks in. Instantly, the gentleman, who previously hadn\u2019t even looked up from his boxed meal, lights up. A handshake, a hug, and a few laughs later, Joel Michel is in the barber\u2019s chair. He\u2019s ready for his close up and a touch up.<\/p>\n
Joel Michel comes to this barbershop every two weeks or so. They give a good haircut, but it\u2019s more than that. It\u2019s an experience – both an investment in the community and a mini-course in trial advocacy. \u201cThe barbershop is rarely ever just about getting a haircut,\u201d says Michel. He normally gets his haircut on Saturday, in a packed house filled with members of the community who love to talk and argue. The conversation ebbs and flows from sports to politics to women and raising kids, but there\u2019s always disagreement. People in impoverished communities have strong opinions, Michel says, and the experience is akin to a trial ad course at Temple Law School. \u201cIn the barbershop, you need to be able to listen to what others are saying, but then also stand up and speak your opinion and have some reasoning behind you to convince your peers.\u201d In the end, Michel says, friends in the barbershop will serve as a proxy for a jury, delivering their verdict via an affirmative or disagreeing head nod.<\/p>\n
If everyone who comes from these impoverished communities leaves when they make it, then those impoverished communities are always going to stay that way.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
There\u2019s also the investment part of the bi-weekly appointments. The city of Philadelphia is earning national acclaim. It recently hosted Pope Francis and will host the Democratic National Convention in 2016. It\u2019s also received tourism endorsements from outlets such as Travel + Leisure, The New York Times, and Huffington Post. The positive vibes are bringing more residents, including law students, to the city\u2019s trendy neighborhoods like the Art Museum district, Old City, Northern Liberties, or South Philadelphia. Michel, however, chooses to live in North Philadelphia. By doing so, Michel can directly expose kids, and young African American kids in particular, to something better \u2013 to a new reality.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a very personal mission for Michel, who grew up in a rough area of West Philadelphia as one of 16 children. \u201cI think early on I got exposed to the realities of an impoverished African-American community,\u201d says Michel. That reality is a troubled track that includes drugs, guns, violence, and time served. If you talk with African American children in these communities, says Michel, they think that path is normal. What they lack is an exposure to something better.<\/p>\n
Michel\u2019s exposure came in the form of his older brother David. David was the third oldest sibling in the family, and the first to attend college. Michel instantly took a liking to him. \u201cThe exposure I got through David helped me think \u2018wait, there\u2019s something wrong here,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cEveryone is living their lives like this is okay, but seeing that outside world, as it was for me at the time, helped me realize that this track was not supposed to be the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n
And so every two weeks, Michel spends $20 on a haircut and talks with members of the community, hoping to be the exposure that somebody, anybody, needs to put themselves on a new life track. \u201cIf everyone who comes from these impoverished communities leaves when they make it, then those impoverished communities are always going to stay that way,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Michel, who says it was his older brother David who first planted the seed of law school in his mind, laughs when he thinks about why he first decided that law school might be the right step for him. \u201cI wanted to save the world,\u201d he says with a chuckle. \u201cParticularly, I wanted to change our criminal justice system and how it deals with young, African-American juveniles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michel arrived at Temple Law with no idea of what law school might be like and just one goal: earn a place on Temple\u2019s nationally-ranked Trial Team<\/a> and learn to try cases. Two years later, Michel is a star<\/a> on the National Trial Team and is on track to join the prestigious law firm of Blank Rome LLP after graduation. He credits Temple Law students and faculty for helping expand his understanding of how he could affect change and do so at different scales. \u201cMy career doesn\u2019t have to be my life\u2019s work,\u201d says Michel, who adds that too many people see their career as their only contribution to society.<\/p>\n
Everyone is living their lives like this is okay, but seeing that outside world, as it was for me at the time, helped me realize that this track was not supposed to be the norm.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Instead, Michel is trying to take the macro to the micro by making an impact on individuals as much as possible. The switch in strategy, he hopes, will result in a deeper, more meaningful impact on the kids he comes in contact with. \u201cI think sometimes people don\u2019t want to do that because it\u2019s not as gratifying. I try not to make it about that. It\u2019s not about receiving applause or accolades.\u201d<\/p>\n
The barber finishes up with Michel\u2019s haircut, and Michel, looking sharp in attire fit for a courtroom, gets ready to head home. He tells the story of the time he was heading to court, dressed in a suit and tie, when two young ladies behind him commented that there were \u201cstill some good brothers\u201d in the neighborhood. \u201cThat made me think, \u2018yeah, there are. There can be,\u2019\u201d says Michel. And with that, Michel begins his walk home, ready to prove to others that indeed, there is something better out there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Understanding the importance of listening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":138,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-40","lens_portfolio","type-lens_portfolio","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","lens_portfolio_categories-alumni"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n
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