Political Quotes

“Today I rise to honor Abraham Losford, the first Black resident of Howell, Michigan; a brave man who escaped slavery and used the trade he learned while captive to build a life of freedom for his family and for generations to come. It was 1849 when Abraham Losford fled north with nothing but his clippers from Kentucky where he had been enslaved and served as a plantation barber. He was captured, escaped again, and after emancipation, returned to free his children, Benjamin and Sally. The plan was to travel to Lansing, Michigan, via the Old Plank Road and open a barbershop, but when Losford stopped in Howell to change stagecoaches, he was convinced to stay in the small town. The people of Howell promised to keep him safe if he would stay and open a barbershop, which they sorely needed. It was a deal both sides would forever uphold. Losford and his barber business thrived in Howell and he became a successful, respected businessman in the predominantly White community--no small feat for a former slave in the years following the end of the Civil War. Newspaper ads from the time boast of his salon offering, ``Shaving, Shampooing, and Hairdressing'' for both men and women, and it was noted in the local press that when Losford fell ill, a band of 60 kids and adults joined together to bring him gifts and money in a show of support and affection for their beloved town barber.…”