The Barber of Little Rock

A rather heartwarming story about a man giving back to his community, John Hoffman & Christine Turner's "The Barber of Little Rock" gives barber Arlo Washington and his work helping the community a well-deserved spotlight. Modest and sincere, we travel along with Arlo, learning more about him and his community, his vision for himself and the people around him, and the philosophy by which he abides. An inspirational person by all accounts who also has the intellectual credentials to back it up, the barber of Little Rock leaves us with a brief but resonating lesson of trust, equality, and ownership.

The Barber of Little Rock shows us in clear and beautiful ways how one individual can create change in his community, and shows you that when you are facing systemic barriers, racial wealth gaps, structural marginalization and poverty - there is a way to create more justice and opportunities. It is the most hopeful and visionary film I have seen in a long time and anyone needing inspiration today, should see it and feel motivated by Arlo Washington's courage and conviction. If you have seen any of the docs or films about the failing banking system or the excesses of capitalism, and walked away feeling the system is broken, watch this doc! You will now walk away from this film, so compellingly crafted by John Hoffman, wondering why we don't have more non-profit community banks as a long term healthy way to create a better and inclusive society. Instead of making you feel powerless, Arlo Washington show is how to transform the system, with community.

The Barber of Little Rock explores America's widening racial wealth gap through the story of Arlo Washington, a local barber whose visionary approach to a just economy can be found in the mission of People Trust, the nonprofit community bank he founded. Experiencing the effects of generational poverty and structural racism firsthand, Arlo understands his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas and the profound mistrust of financial institutions that have historically excluded his community from financial stability and economic mobility. Operating as the sole bank within a ten-mile radius, Arlo's People Trust fosters economic progress for underserved and underbanked residents, providing an economic beacon of hope that could reshape the future of banking.

It's true that the film's main focus is on the community's need for financial resources and how Arlo Washington finds a way to provide them. Seeing him create and operate a lending institution that helps people who would have no other recourse is quite inspiring and a worthy subject of a documentary.

However, this film does more than that. It also lets us see the barber school that Arlo runs, which helps students enter into a respected profession. He does much more than teach them to cut hair; he gives them life lessons, which they clearly value.

This film provides good and bad news about the financial situation in underresourced areas. The bad news is that many such areas sorely need someone like an Arlo Washington. The good news is that he has proved that one motivated person can bring many benefits to a community. I hope this film inspires others to follow him.

Arlo Washington is one of those inspirational men who believes that the best way for a community to help itself is, well, for it to help itself. To that end he initially set up a hairdressing college offering training before he realised there was potential to set up a community banking operation that could lend to local people to help them get their business off the ground - without making through-the-nose interest payments. It's a serious enterprise, they don't just give money away - those applying need to have a proper business plan and a strategy for repaying those loans so they can be reinvested elsewhere. He also attempts to identify the causes of what he causes "economic segregation" and that's painted with interviews from local people who want to create a legacy for themselves and for their descendants. In light of the recent sub-prime banking collapse, it does come across as just a little naive when it comes to the evaluation of why some people don't get the money they ask more traditional banks for, and it also makes some fairly stereotypical assumptions about lending strategies - but it's still quite an interesting look at just how people can work together to help themselves.