The Black Panthers and Black Muslims were among the groups that emerged. In the 1960s many young African Americans began to reject the legacy of slavery and everything associated with it, including Christianity. As part of the rejection, many adopted Islam as their religion. Hakim-a-barber, “the short, stocky man with hair down to his navel” (317), is one of the black Muslims mentioned in Walker's story. By the way he dressed and looked, Hakim-a-barber represents the younger generation of African Americans who wanted to get in touch with their African roots by simply changing their name or having an African hairstyle and adopting Islam as their