African American men in North Carolina suffer from some of the world’s highest rates of prostate cancer, but it's not exactly clear why. That tip was enough to launch News & Observer reporter Jay Price on a long reporting journey that would take him to churches, barber shops and community meetings.

While North Carolina has some of the nation’s worst rates of prostate cancer among black men, it also has some of the country’s best intellectual resources to fight the disease.

Using barbershops as channels for reaching black men with health information is a proven public health technique, one funded by government grants and charities in parts of North Carolina.