After being turned down for three jobs in a row, explicitly because I have dreadlocks, I started thinking more on personal choice and human nature, and felt it would be worthwhile to share these thoughts in hopes of opening minds while freeing my own self of some of the judgments we humans can project onto one another. There are seemingly endless ways to wear one’s hair from short and styled to long and messy, from buzzed to braided and afros to ironed. Hair is one of the first things you notice about a person and if it is dirty and unkempt, we tend to assume that person is not taking proper care of him/herself. Somehow dreadlocks got tangled in there with societal impressions of dirty and unkempt hygiene. However, as whom some will refer to as a ‘dreadie’, I can vouch that I wash my hair regularly and it is well tended to, only not by a brush. The word dreadlock is relatively new, considering how long people have been wearing their hair in this way. I have heard two explanations for how the term came into being. Both come from the Rastafari movement in Jamaica in the early 1900’s. One explanation refers to the fear or ‘dread’ in which the Rastafari wearer of dreadlocks has toward God; the other refers to the dread that society had for those who wore their hair locked. People from all over the world have worn locks since antiquity, from Egyptians to Celts to Hindu Shiva worshippers of India. Reasons vary among cultures for wearing dreadlocks. They can be an expression of deep religious or spiritual convictions, a manifestation of ethnic pride, a political statement, or simply a fashion preference. Some people say that Sampson of the Old Testament and John the Baptist wore locks, and Jesus, too. Hair choices have been on my mind since childhood as I recall my great grandmother saying she never cut her hair in her life and she encouraged me not to cut mine, as if I were Sampson myself and had made some pact with God. She had long, silver hair and I would brush her straight, silky strands while she would tell me stories of her childhood. But I was too much of an experimenter, particularly with hair, to leave mine alone. I played with haircuts, dyes, perms, even shaving it several different times, trying on the myriads of impressions one can make in the world. I expressed my independence through hair choice. At 19, I started wearing my hair in cornrows, for not only did I like the look of it, I also liked having long hair without the chore of brushing it. My wavy hair needed to be brushed at least two times a day to keep it from knotting up, an added daily self-maintenance that I did not like doing. I learned at this time about dreadlocks and thought they were fascinating and beautiful, if done with care, that is. Most dreadlocks enchanted me, as if I could get lost in the story of each dread. I thought they were the most courageous and powerful way of wearing one’s hair that I had ever seen. So when I decided to grow dreads, it was first inspired by these two former reasons: a strong dislike of brushing my long hair and an awe for the faith and courage it took to grow locks. I quickly realized that many folk’s had prejudices against dreadlocks and so I began thinking dreads would be a good barometer for me to quickly deduce people’s tolerance levels. If someone did not want me in their life because I wore dreadlocks, then I thought it would probably be better to not be engaged with them anyway. This hairstyle choice would nip shallow relationships in the bud and I could be more real with people right from the start. I was in Africa when my locks were first forming, and I spent some time with a couple from the Congo who talked with me about the power of dreadlocks. They really ran me through the mill with questions to see if I came out worthy for wearing locks. “When you decide to grow dreadlocks, it changes you, for they do not just grow out, but also in. First, they grow through your mind, and change the way you think. Then, they grow through your eyes and change the way you see. Next, they grow through your throat and change the way you speak. And then, they will grow through your heart, and change the way you feel.” Did I know this, they asked? Was I prepared to live into this change? Yes, I replied, and that is why I had committed myself to them. I do notice that having dreadlocks has changed me, by making me stronger, more aware and accepting. Even so, I note the misunderstandings and prejudices from many in the larger world, from people I am wanting to reach through my work and meet them where they are currently comfortable rather than scaring them away because I don a long set of dreadlocks. It is an internal conflict I have at times yet continue planting seeds of acceptance and openness in society by stepping out of the box. It is not comfortable, though, to be a minority, and we humans like to seek the most comfortable route available. There is a song by India Arie called “I am not my hair” that addresses some of these touchy subjects. When I heard it, it inspired me to write this piece to continue to spread the message that we are most always much more than we appear. As we become more and more of a global community, drawing into our unto it minorities of all colors, shapes, styles and beliefs, becoming aware, open and conscious about your beliefs on hairstyle choices seems like a good, simple step in the right direction of living together harmoniously. “Scalp exercise for bald or bush.” No matter how you wear your hair, give that place on your body attention daily. Shortly after arising, bend forward as far as is comfortable and let yourself hang for half a minute or so. Then start to massage your scalp, next tugging on your hair roots(if you have hair) down to the ends, feeling the pull inside your head enough that it awakens and enlivens you. Then massage your scalp again for several seconds. This stimulates all sorts of growth cells and brain functions, and gets the oxygen flowing well for a vitality-filled day.

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