Mrs. Irvalene Emanuel

“I look forward to an America that is not afraid of grace and beauty”

  -John F. Kennedy

 The 1950’s was an ugly period in our nation’s history.  Jim Crow laws were alive and well and leaving destruction in every state that accepted “separate but equal” as the law of the land.  After decades of blacks being subjected to inferior education, in 1954 the United States Supreme Court finally told the world in Brown v. Board of Education that separate was not equal.  In addition to public schools, the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of public parks, swimming pools, and playgrounds.  However, they did not integrate public transportation.  In 1955 Rosa Parks sat on the front of a Montgomery, Alabama bus and refused to move.  Now enters Dr. Martin Luther King and a decade long struggle for racial equality begins.  Fond memories of the fifties and sixties include boycotts, water hoses, lunch counters, marches, sit-ins and shut-downs.  Racial tension was high and progress was slow.  Yet, one little black girl from Little Rock, Arkansas was living in the racial harmony the rest of the world was dreaming about. 

 Irvalene Emanuel was 13 years old when she moved to St. Louis, Missouri.  She fell in love with St. Louis immediately.  She loved that the houses were so big.  Every house on her street had a second floor which was unheard of in her small town in Little Rock.  She was thrilled with her family’s second floor walk-up.  After graduating from Vashon High School, “Ms. Irv” (as her friends like to call her) felt the need to settle on a career.  She liked doing hair and decided to be a hair stylist.  Ms. Irv went to a very well known beauty school called Ruth Flowers School of Cosmetology.  She also took additional courses and training in Washington, DC at the National Institute of Cosmetology where she earned her BA degree. 

 Given the race riots that were popular during this period, one would think that Ms. Irv started her beauty career at a shop on the north side of St. Louis that specialized in black hair.  But Ms. Irv had many friends in the beauty industry and she knew that it was very difficult for new stylist to make it in black hair salons.  For one thing, there were so few black women during this era who could afford this kind of pampering.  If a new customer walked into the shop the owner would swiftly snatch her up and claim her forever.  New black hair stylists were primarily limited to shampooing and Ms. Irv knew she wanted more than that.

  Ms. Irv got her lucky break when one of the hair stylists at Oakbrooks Beauty Salon on Delmar had to take a short medical leave.  The stylist asked Ms. Irv to take her place.  Ms. Irv was highly skilled, highly motivated and highly trained.  There was just one thing.  This was a white beauty salon with white stylists and white customers.  But something Ruth Flowers said in beauty school gave Ms. Irv a lot of courage.  Flowers said “We could do their hair but they can’t do ours.”

 Ms. Irv’s favorite bible verse is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Philippians 4:13.  In the middle of the 1950’s, before Dr. King’s March on Washington; before white people and black people held hands and sang “We Shall Overcome”; Ms. Irv walked into an all white beauty salon and went to work. With quiet confidence and a calm spirit Ms. Irv set out to make the best of her big break.  Surprisingly, she was easily welcomed by the owner and the other stylists.  The clientele took to her friendly personality and her well trained skill.  Ms. Irv did not feel any racism as she built relationships with clients who would become lifelong friends and customers. While Ms. Irv switched specialties from hair stylist to manicurist, she did not switch shops.  She stayed in that shop for nearly fifty years.  During those years she created a strong client base that she continues to see during her retirement.  Recently, she had lunch with a customer, the customer’s daughter and granddaughter.  Ms. Irv was the family manicurist for them all.  One day the shop owner said something to Ms. Irv that she will never forget.  With admiration, he told her “…you came out here and made yourself a job.”  And, that she did.

 Ms. Irv is as committed to the Wayman Family Nation as she was to her beauty career.  She joined the church in 1954.  She was appointed a steward by Rev. Wormley and remained in that position until 2007.  Ms. Irv raised her four boys in the church. Andrew, David, Michael and Irving are all members of Wayman.  At Wayman, Ms. Irv has used other beautiful talents to glorify God.  She loves to sew and has left her mark on many outfits, napkins, robes and shirts seen around the sanctuary.  Ms. Irv has a beautiful soprano voice and she loves to sing “God Is.”  Ms. Irv has sung in every church choir for 45 years.  All Waymanites know that Ms. Irv’s love of music is hereditary and displayed every Sunday through other members of her family. 

  In one of the ugliest periods of our time, Ms. Irv focused on beauty.  Despite living in a world divided by race, Ms. Irv crossed racial lines and saw beauty in all people.  Through life and work Ms. Irv continues to bring out the beauty we all have within.