WACO, Texas (KXXV) — One Waco man is using a chair, a pair of clippers and some compassion to help make a difference one fade at a time. James Rangel recently graduated from Champions Barber Academy, but he has been giving free haircuts to people who cant afford them for the past four years.
- After a photo of Rangel cutting a homeless person’s hair on the side of the street got some buzz on a Facebook, his mom shared that post and gave him the name "The Unknown Barber".
- Rangel goes on the hunt for clients at least twice a week, searching for people in our community who can't afford a haircut. He has found his passion serving the homeless community.
- Rangel uses each haircut as a opportunity to make a difference in someone's life.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“It’s going to be okay man, can I pray for you?” James Rangel said.
You wouldn’t expect a hair cut to start out like this.
“Please give us strength to get through the hard times and see, maybe not with our eyes, but see there is a bigger picture. In Jesus name we pray, amen, amen," he said.
James Rangel believes everyone, regardless of circumstance has a purpose. He tells me this takes him outside the barber shop.
“You never know what someone could be going through or whatever, so I just started doing that on the highway and then I took it to Waco Drive,” the Unknown Barber said.
For Rangel, it all started about four years ago after a photo of him cutting a homeless person’s hair on the side of the street got some buzz on a Facebook.
“He said does anybody know this barber, I would like to contribute to his ministry,” Rangel said.
That’s when Rangel’s mom saw the post, and shared it, giving her son the name he goes by today, the Unknown Barber.
“God gave me the hair cutting to finally make her truly proud of me,” he said.
Six months after that post, Rangel’s mother died from COVID. Now at least twice a week he goes on the hunt for clients, hoping to continue trimming his way into people’s lives with a cut, some conversation and compassion.
“I look at it as a mission. Take it to them, take it to the streets, because that could easily be me,” Rangel said.
Rangel’s making a difference in people’s lives, one fade at a time.
“He’s changing things, he changing the world, he changing people,” one man said.
Rangel credits his success to his mom, Champions Barber Academy, and Lone Star Barber Supply. Right now Rangel is working on a comic book about his barber journey. He said he has dreams of opening up his own barber shop one day, but he still plans to give out free cuts to those who can’t afford them.
