Pradith is well traveled.
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He picked the place. On Broadway near Wilson, it’s called the Hair Force. The sidewalk outside was being ripped apart by two men with jackhammers, which echoed inside the shop like pistons firing inside an engine. It was a large place, eight chairs, but only one of them was taken. All of the hairstylists were black Americans, and there were dozens of pictures of the latest black hairstyles on the wall. Pradith chose the flattop.
A third hairstylist glanced over from her chair and laughed, “That’d be one funny-looking flattop for sure.” The woman in the chair looked over and made no comment, just shook her head. “Hold still please,” said her hairdresser.
“You get many Asians in here?”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Kathy Richland.
