~~~~~~

“Man is what he thinks, not what he says, reads, or hears. By persistent thinking, however, in the right away, the way of truth, you can undo any condition which exists. You can free yourself from any claims, whether of poverty, sin, in health or unhappiness.”

~~~~~~

“Believing that Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom and boundless love for mankind, has endowed each normal being with infinite powers that only await development; and, that these powers are only developed by rigid self-discipline and self control; and, that through persistent effort one can develop all of his powers and successfully handle himself with all the powers which constitute a full and effective life, I hereby set forth some resolutions which I hope to build into permanent habits within my own being.
1. Daily reading of the Bible; prayer and meditation
2. Constant seeking for wisdom and understanding
3. Development of will-power and constructive thinking
4. Effective reading with development of memory
5. Concentration upon all matters at hand
6. Infinite pains unto the smallest detail
7. To look upward and onward – never downward nor backward
8. To properly value time and perseverance
9. Promptness and decision where needed
10. To speak clearly and express accurately”

~~~~~~

“Many of God’s greatest apostles of thought and feeling and action have come from the humblest stations. But the most insuperable difficulties have not long been obstacles to them. These greatest of difficulties are true men’s greatest helpers – they stimulate powers that might have lain dormant all though life, but often have readily yielded to the stout and reliant heart. There is no greater blessing in the world than poverty, which is allied to self-reliance and the spirit of self-help.”

~~~~~~

“When things get bad, so very bad that worse they could not be, hold fast to hope, cling hard to faith, that someway out you’ll see.”

~~~~~~

Charles Everett Ellis was the only black man living in an all-white small town in Illinois town during a violent period of America’s history, just before the Great Depression.

It was a time when African Americans faced threats of racial cleansing across the South and Midwest.

Thousands were murdered, tortured and publicly executed. Property was stolen. Towns destroyed, communities eliminated, overnight.

For most black men, the way to survive in those times was to remain invisible and never speak out.

Step off the curb when white people approached, avoid eye contact, stay in your place, never show emotion, always keep your thoughts to yourself, and your mouth shut.

For Charles Ellis … he had a wife and seven children to protect. He had a home. But, keeping his thoughts to himself was not an option.

He was a valuable asset in the white community – he was the town barber. He cut the hair of white men, gave shaves with a straightedge razor, and listened to white men in his shop talk, sometimes of hatred and racism.

And, then, Ellis voiced hope, and the dreams for all black Americans, like himself, during that time of the contemporary American black experience. He took up pen and paper, and kept a secret diary. The Barber’s Diaries.

An extraordinary man, self-educated in the classics … his writing is a celebration of life that rises above the violence and challenges of the time. His words inspire and endure to this day.

For the next 44 years, Ellis expressed his thoughts, his philosophy, his theology, his politics – his world-view.

“The Barber’s Diaries.”

The inner mind … and the powerful voice … of a visible man.

Outpost Worldwide executive producer Michael Wunsch and author David Henderson recently were on-location in southern California to shoot cinema high definition segments with Ellis’ daughters about their father as part of a developing documentary project.

Ellis protected his family, kept quiet, and cut hair but his voice soared in his diaries. What’s revealed is the intellectual and inspirational mind of a philosopher. When he died in 1971 at the age of 84, his diaries contained more than 2,600 pages in six volumes spanning more than 40 years of world events, his family and his own philosophical and spiritual journey.

The Barber’s Diaries is the true story of one black man’s journey in America, from the 1920s through the 1970s. A story about perseverance, commitment, family, education, and faith. Working as the sole barber in a time before the Great Depression – surrounded by racial violence in the Midwest and South – Charles Everett Ellis lived with his wife and seven children. They were the only black family in an all-white town. As the town barber, Ellis was a valuable yet low-paid asset in the white community.

Ellis cut the hair and shaved the faces of businessmen, traveling salesmen and farmers as he had done since the age of 15. He worked silently while they talked, about crops, the weather, community events, politics, and, no doubt, about race issues. In order to survive, he never openly expressed his thoughts. He was an invisible “necessity” to the whites.

In 1927, at age 40, Ellis made the decision to bring purpose to each day of his life, and to express his voice in a different way. He began writing a diary. At the same time, Ellis chose a path of higher education, to become a self-taught scholar and intellectual by reading every book he could acquire.

In his diaries, Ellis wrote about his quest for knowledge, faith, about his family, and the challenges of the world around him. On issues of racial tension, he wrote of teaching his family where to hide and how to walk through the town, without being noticed.

He would write for the remainder of his life. When he passed away in 1971 at the age of 84, his diaries contained more than 2,650 pages in six volumes spanning world events, his family, civil rights, and his own philosophical journey. In the diaries of Charles Everett Ellis, one sees and feels an American life that inspires the heart, encourages the soul and embodies the human spirit.

In the greater vision, The Barber’s Diaries is a catalyst for storytelling, sharing, and discovery of many other lives within the black American culture that have never been heard. The diaries are a platform to learn about, study and be inspired by the “real” stories of extra “ordinary” people who have helped to enrich and shape a nation.

We encourage involvement to help make this project a reality, a celebration of diversity and of humanity that will reach out to embrace us all. The recent discovery of this literary treasure is the foundation for a comprehensive program of television content, educational curriculum, and limitless online opportunities for sharing and discussion.

To learn more about becoming involved in The Barber’s Diaries, contact Michael Wunsch, CEO, Outpost Worldwide (mike@outpostworldwide.com) or David Henderson, Executive Producer (david@davidhenderson.com). We are seeking co-production partners in the corporate, television and educational markets to participate in this important project. This is a series with significant merit and value. Today, is it timely and highly relevant to America’s new direction.

© 2009 The Barber’s Diaries