White People with Dreadlocks

This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series White People Dreads

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White People Dreads

• White People with Dreadlocks

THIS ARTICLE IS A REPRINT OF AN ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NAANI.COM IN 2002. WE’VE DECIDED TO REVIVE THE DEBATE TO SEE HOW MUCH WE AND VISITORS HAVE GROWN…HOPEFULLY.

I remember back in college that every now and then I’d spot a (dread)locked head on campus. The irony was that none of them belonged to my African-American peers. I didn’t know what to think when I saw a White person with dreadlocks. At the time, I didn’t fully understand their historical significance myself so I thought, “Who am I to judge?”

white people with dreadlocks

Obviously these people were brave enough to embrace a traditionally African style that even some Blacks have difficulty accepting, so why hate?

When I started researching (dread)locks and natural hair on the web, most of the sites I stumbled upon catered to a White audience. I thought dreadlocking African hair was a trial but after reviewing some of these sites, it seemed White people take locking to a whole notha level.

I’ve seen sites that not only recommend using vats of beeswax, but also toothpaste, glue…honey???? On top of that, some boast the ability to lock one’s hair in a matter of just a few weeks which anyone with locked hair knows is a joke.

So it got me thinking and I decided to pose a few questions. What do you think of White people with dreadlocks? Is it a lifestyle or hairstyle for them? Are they ever truly dreadlocked?

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67 Responses to “White People with Dreadlocks”

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1. 16
   Kenny W. Says:
   February 27th, 2009 at 10:07 PM

   If white folks are anything they are consistent. For a people who have come from an existence (Europe) where Jah have giving them the least, they have made it a point to appropriate the best and the most valuable resources, traditions and assets from all the rest of the world’’s people of color. Why should we be surprise when they lock on to hair locin as just one more of there many historical acquisition. How many times have we heard our elders say: ” Child, black folks can”t have anything good that white folks won”t want”a take”. But I must be fair to white folks in matters such as these. We as a people give away that which is and has become the most valuable things about us as a people. The most recent example of this is our classical music commonly and mistakingly refered to as Jazz. But that is another issue for another day.

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2. 17
   Tracy Says:
   February 27th, 2009 at 10:08 PM

   There is only one race, the human race. I choose to wear my locks to grow with God, and to stand alone. It saddens me to think that people are still hating on each other over hair. To all of you who are “black”, please dont judge a “white” dude with locks. The Honorable Robert Nesta Marley O.M. is of both “races”. Freedom to all….

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3. 18
   Kris Says:
   February 27th, 2009 at 10:08 PM

   Some people seem angry to see white people with dreadlocks. So should I, as a white woman, be angry if I see a Black woman with dyed blonde hair?

   No. I”m not angry…I feel happy that she’’s expressing herself in a way that feels comfortable for her. Really, people — it’’s hair. And I know that for Blacks, hair is much more of an “issue” than for whites — but we”re not appropriating anything — no more than the sistah with the blonde hair who’’s on top of the world.

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