Mary Thames and her dreadlocks. Photo: Urban News

by Mary Thames

After being turned down for three jobs in a row, explicitly because I have dreadlocks, I started thinking more about 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. Hair is one of the first things you notice about a person: if it is dirty and unkempt, we tend to assume that person is not taking proper care of him- or herself. Somehow dreadlocks got tangled in there with societal impressions of dirty and unkempt hygiene. However, as someone who might be referred 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 this way.

People from all over the world have worn locks since antiquity, from Egyptians to Celts to Hindu Shiva worshippers of India. Some people say that even Sampson of the Old Testament and John the Baptist wore locks.

When I learned about dreadlocks, I thought they were fascinating and beautiful – if done well. I thought they were the most courageous and powerful way of wearing one’s hair that I had ever seen. Soon I realized that many folks had prejudices against dreadlocks, 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, allowing me to be more real with people right from the start.

I was in Africa when my locks were first forming, and I spent 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. Their comments were:

“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 believe 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, people I want to reach through my work where they are currently comfortable, and not scare them away because I don a long set of dreadlocks.

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 helped me break through and write this article to continue to spread the message that we are most always much more than we appear. As the town of Asheville continues to draw 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.