hair racism...locs or not....

[etienneSAI]

interesting topic (good to talk about something NOT related to greek life sometimes...hee hee. i'm with thatgirl when i say...chill the hell DOWN, preppie...)

i've actually been discriminated against for my piercings. it's not THAT bad...i have seven in my ears and one in my navel. my hair is red, but i have brighter red streaks in it (chemically, not naturally, unfortunately). i've had employers tell me i'd get fired if i didn't remove my earrings or dye my hair to a "natural" color. i can't help it if i want to look this way, right?! i work at victoria's secret where our dress code is all black. this i have no problem with. they've been good about my appearance except for NAIL POLISH! they think it's not professional to wear nail polish on the job! (can't deal with that, man...) i could see if i was working in food service adn it could chip off into someone's food *that makes me sick just thinking about it* but this is retail...calssy retail at that. and if i want to wear glittery nail polish the color of pond scum, i should be allowed to! hey, it matched my outfit....

etienne
sigma alpha iota-the hartt school of music...for now...

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"red is the color of music and has been since the very earliest of times. the caps of faeries and musicians are well-nigh always red."~*~w.b.yeats

"I think that happiness is when you can let yourself feel every emotion you want at any time instead of being a lying little fuck." - Tori Amos

[Asia2000]

The man I am dating now wears his hear in locs. I love them. I help him take care of them, keep them fresh for him - I love it. (Hey, he learned to eat with chopsticks, we learn and we compromise and it's beautiful . . .)

Anyway, I've been with him watching him struggle to find a "real" job. Without going into too much detail, we pretty much knew that several times he was denied a position because of his "wild" hair. His locs are very well kept (with my help) - I understand if someone didn't keep them up at all -- any hairstyle unkempt is not pleasant.

I am sure much of it was racist, but there were times when other Blacks didn't hire him. I think it is also a part of conformity - just the brainwashing we all undergo going through public school and through society in general.

His poor mother pleads with him to cut them off so he can conform and join the professional working world.

This is one reason I really commend up and coming young businesses. Some, not all, have such open and new policies and visionaries. They appreciate and respect things like locs or piercings or what not. I wonder, though, if it will ever change. Tattoos have been around for a minute and barely hold any taboo anymore. Damn near every American has one, from corporate executive to local hood rat. But you will still find it rare for a company to allow it's employees to show them while on the clock.

[Corbin Dallas]

I personally have no problem with locks. I like the look of them, as long as they are well kept. All I'm saying is if they let him keep them, then what's to keep another police officer from growing his hair long, or something else, then just claiming it's part of his religion? I don't know what this police departments other rules are on hair, but maybe they added the locks, cornrows and braids rule as an extension (no pun intended) of rules against long hair or whatever.

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Steve Corbin
Lambda Chi Alpha
Theta Kappa Chapter
Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech.

[The Original Ape]

Originally posted by preppie:
This has absolutely nothing to do with greek life........

I beg to differ with you, Preppie. As we promote ourselves as leaders, we maintain that only by taking up issues of our people...and this is definetly an issue facing our people. You should know that we are shut out for one reason or another, but each of these reasons relate to our skin complexion or our culture. We should do all we can do to change the world's perception of us by showing our worth and standing up for our rights.

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[33girl]

I read an article a looong time ago about dress codes and the people who hate them. It said that if a rule is applied equally to everyone, you can’t fight it – for example, Disney has rules against coloring your hair and even regarding what size earrings you wear! But since it applies to everyone it isn’t discrimination. However, I believe it said something about cornrows and dreads being exempt since they are largely particular to one race and to ban them would be discriminating.

Personally, I would MUCH rather see an officer with dreads than a mullet (aka the Billy Ray Cyrus/redneck haircut). If they are kept clean & tied back (and since the officer says they can’t even be seen under his cap) what is the difference?

[MaMaBuddha]

hey people...i am bad for a new day...

first of all preppie....you must be from the other side....so you don't understand!!!

keep it moving!!!!

Originally posted by 33girl:

Personally, I would MUCH rather see an officer with dreads than a mullet (aka the Billy Ray Cyrus/redneck haircut).

No kidding. Dreadlocks can look good on the right person. Mullets look dumb no matter what.

[MaMaBuddha]

people please do not refer to them as Dreadlocs there is nothing dreadful about this hair style.

america is ironically suppose to be the land of the free and the home of the brave....the free part i don't know about. we are still trapped in the white corporate america.

[Corbin Dallas]

Out of curiosity, where does the term dreadlocks come from?

And you couldn't outlaw mullets because that only applies to inbred white folks. Has anyone ever seen http://www.mulletsgalore.com It is one of the funniest sites I've ever seen!

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Steve Corbin
Lambda Chi Alpha
Theta Kappa Chapter
Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech.

[This message has been edited by Corbin Dallas (edited July 26, 2000).]

[Sexy Mocha]

I think people should be able to wear their hair however they please as long as its kept neat. I have come across both men and women with some of the most beautiful dreads...correction..locks I have ever seen and on the flip side of the coin, I have seen awful looking, unkempt locks that indeed may come off as inappropriate for some professions..or anyplace for that matter.

[MaMaBuddha]

All the days of the vow of the separation there shall no razor come upon his head until the days are fulfilled for which he
separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. (Numbers 6:5)

booooooya-kaaaaaaaa!!!!


Samson is the classic example of this relation. Samson's mother was visited by Jah and told:

For, lo thou shall conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a nazarite unto God
from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines. (Judges 13:5)


i respect everyone's opinion on the hair issue and for those that don't feel like this was important in Greek Life....Get over it and keep it moving!

this is something that does effect us everyday. at one time it was the color of our skin, now it is the texture of our hair, what next...how big our feet are?

[Corbin Dallas]

I sure hope foot size never comes into play, I'd be screwed! I just got a new pair of sneaks, and they were bigger than the last, size 15!

On the hair issue again. I think it's interesting how some religions or sects of religions condemn long hair, when Jesus is always portrayed as having long hair. of course he's also always portrayed as a white man too, but I'll not get into that.

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Steve Corbin
Lambda Chi Alpha
Theta Kappa Chapter
Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech.

[DELTABRAT]

I feel that people should be allowed to waer their hair any way they damn well please.

Thank you Soror MaMaBuddha for schooling folks up in here.

As a person who had locks for 6 years they are very liberating and they definitely send a message of not only empowerment but that of pride in our African culture. I had since cut me locks (I now rock the bomb ass bald head...well..not BALD but think Me'shelle N'Degeocello (no she IS BALD)...forget it...Sinead O'Connor). My reasons for doing so was basically because I felt that the "energy" that had been absorbed by my locks ( other people's energy, was negative (I twisted my hair when it was shoulder length and therefore there was already 19 years worth of "energy" already in my hair). I WILL grow locs again, but I think I will be older and wiser about my life decisions at that junction in my life and thus not be compelled to shave them off, again.

OKAY, why did this become a biography about me and my locks. Probably because I miss them dearly (I still have them in a wooden box I got from Trinidad & Tobago)

Okay, but yeah, the man should be able to wear his hair however, as long as they are neat. Quiet as it's kept, though ,TRUE Rastas tend to have less neat locks than those who wear them as a fashion statement. We've all seen Rastas and they have one HUGE dread or several dreads that have locked into one big one.



[This message has been edited by DELTABRAT (edited July 26, 2000).]

[Black Diamond]

Being a Sister who has Locks, I feel they should leave him alone. Now I can understand if they require him to keep them a certain length, because being someone in uniform he may have those restirctions, but to make him cut them off?.......HELL NO!. I am a professional and I PROUDLY wear my Locks. We CANNOT let others dictate to how or which stlye we wear our hair. Some feel it is not appropiate to have anything other than straight hair. WRONG! As long as it is neat and not a hazzard to your profession or the people you serve...Let people be and let them wear their hair as they choose!

That's just my $19.08


Black Diamond
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Ladies of Distinction!
Spr. 91

[Sexy Mocha]

Well said Black Diamond!