Monday, September 15, 2003 9:07AM EDT
Locked out
Blacks with natural hair can face 'dreaded' discrimination
By KAREN GUZMAN, Staff Writer
It's a reaction Russell Robinson knows well. His hair is the catalyst. First the eyes widen. Then the lips part. The forehead may furrow. This is the instant of stunned hesitation, quickly covered by a handshake and smile, that can occur when interviewers realize that Robinson, with a tumble of dreadlocks snaking down his back, is their job applicant.
Sitting in a Durham diner, dreads pulled back neatly from his face, Robinson laughs because there is, after all, something funny about a hairstyle having such power. It's not as if he's sporting a pink mohawk. Though long, when pulled back from his face, Robinson's dreadlocks are no more eye-catching than a ponytail. He wears them for both practical and personal reasons: to stop damaging his hair with chemicals and to show a burgeoning cultural pride .
"The style I have right now is truly indicative of my ancestors," he says.
In recent years, an increasing number of African-Americans have opted for dreadlocks or other natural hairstyles , such as braids, twists, cornrows or even afros . Once jarring , the look now seems almost mainstream.
Almost. Although the natural looks are accepted in more casual workplaces, some segments of corporate America still shy away from the look. And that means blacks who choose the natural looks may find they have limited their career choices .
"It comes down to a decision for the individual between your cultural identity and fitting in," says James H. Johnson, the William Rand Ke nan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Management at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Durham resident Gilda Womble, 50, has always kept her hair chemically straightened and cut short during her 28-year career at the Research Triangle Park pharmaceutical company
"I've always been cognizant of the problems that certain hairstyles can develop in the workplace," Womble says. She's waiting until retirement, she says, to grow an afro.
The truth is that today not many private sector leaders have dreadlocks, Johnson says. Right from the start, job recruiters tend to look for candidates who fit the "mold," and even if a dreadlocked-head gets in the door, not fitting in can hurt his or her upward mobility.
"Nobody's going to tell you you're not being promoted because of your hairstyle," Johnson says.
But that has to change, he says. "The challenge [for companies] is to understand that more and more people are holding onto their culture, and that companies that adjust to that are going to be the winners in the end."
More companies are adjusting, according to John L. Jackson Jr., assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University. Jackson wore dreadlocks himself while a graduate student and during job interviews. Even though Jackson thought his dreads weren't a hindrance and may even add the cachet of "hipness" in settings where it's prized, he says the style is often misconstrued by both blacks and whites.
"People did imbue it with this kind of extra special cultural significance," he says. Even when he visited Jamaica, Jamaicans assumed his dreads signified religious beliefs or racial consciousness -- neither of which were a factor in his decision to get dreads.
Leery employers may suspect the style signifies someone with a defiant attitude. "There's something implicitly oppositional about it," Johnson says, and whereas dreadlocked blacks may be seen as challenging, "the white with dreads is either considered to be a freak or [a black wannabe.]
Rules for hairstyles vary widely from company to company, depending on the nature of the work and the employer's image. It is usually within an employer's rights to establish and enforce dress codes that are fair and reasonable. An employer -- especially if it's a private corporation -- also has the right to create a company image that extends to an employee's appearance and demands that she "look the part."
But with the diversification of the workplace, "the issue is what is the part?" Johnson says.
Robinson says his hair has never been an issue at his current workplace. He's a media technologist at the North Carolina School of Science and Math.
He got his dreads "locked" in 1996 after concern over a receding hairline prompted him to stop using chemicals on his hair. He had tried dreads before, but ended up pulling out the style, fearing the criticism they c ould engender.
And criticism came from all corners.
Robinson says his fellow black fraternity brothers at a local chapter, who espouse a traditional conservative appearance, greeted his new dreads with gasps when he showed up for a meeting. Relatives, too, criticized the style. His grandfather repeatedly offered him $1,000 to cut the dreads off.
He persevered, even after some discouraging job interviews.
"I found that having my hair this way has been a big boon to my self-esteem," he says. "The style I have right now is truly indicative of my ancestors.
But, he says, "With the style you have to accept the fact that you limit your accessibility."
Staff writer Karen Guzman can be reached at 829-4752 or kguzman@newsobserver.com.
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