Dennis "Denny Moe" Mitchell, 54, stands outside of Denny Moe's Superstar Barbershop in Harlem, New York, in an undated photo. Denny Moe's Superstar Barbershop

Black barbers across America are engaging in a heated debate over whether cities and states should lift coronavirus social distancing mandates that have forced many of their businesses to close indefinitely.

African Americans as a group are suffering the most during the Covid-19 pandemic, with higher infection and mortality rates than the general population. Barbers say black business owners, like many of them, are also disproportionately hurting financially from government shutdowns meant to stem the virus' spread.

Several shop owners said they can't afford to remain closed much longer.

In African-American culture, barbershops are much more than places to get a haircut. Many are marketplaces where local vendors sell their wares and community centers where people gather for hours to discuss politics, sports and the news of the day. The unique folkways and stature of black barbershops have been the subject of iconic movie scenes, Hollywood film franchises, even an HBO television series.

"There's probably all kinds of barbershops talking about what's going on with our government right now," Mike Knuckles, 45, a barber at Select Cutz in Grand Prairie, Texas, told CNN Business. "If you lose a barbershop that's been in the community 30 years and has a tradition and respect in the community, that's huge."

Damon Dorsey, 59, president of the American Barber Association, a barber advocacy group whose estimated membership of 3,000 is about 30% black, said he has spent weeks talking with worried barbers nationwide since the pandemic began.

They're concerned about limiting the spread of Covid-19, but also want to "get back to making money," Dorsey told CNN Business. "All are struggling with the uncertainty of the moment," he said.

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