The Dreadlock Deadlock
In the fall of 1993 Christopher Polk transferred from FedEx’s hub in Indianapolis to take over a delivery route in Flatbush District, Brooklyn, N.Y. But moving to the country’s largest community of Caribbean and African immigrants only precipitated a far more profound journey. "I was becoming culturally aware of the history of the black people," says Polk, now 31, "and that gave me these spiritual questions." His answer came providentially, by way of a music video featuring Lord Jamai, who raps about the Rastafarian belief in the sanctity of dreadlocks —the cords of permanently interlocked strands first worn by African chiefs perhaps 6,000 years ago.
Now a practicing Rastafarian, Polk sports thick garlands that gently cascade onto his shoulders. "Your hair is your covenant," he says. "Once you grow your locks, it puts you on a path."
Unfortunately, that path was a collision course with Federal Express’s grooming policy, which requires men to confine their dos to "a reasonable style". After years of deliberation, Polk’s bosses gave him a choice: shear his locks or be transferred to a lower-paid job with no customer contact. He refused both options and was terminated in June 2000.
His tale is not unique. Although Rastafarians number about 5,000 nationally, today dreadlocks, twists or braids are at the height of fashion, nearly as common as Afros were 30 years ago. If Afros symbolized militancy, dreads signal a more spiritual self-declaration, a figurative locking with African ancestors. As Stanford professor Kennell Jackson, who teaches a course called "African Coiffures and Their New World Legacies" puts it, "There’s a divinity to these locks."
Divine or not, some employers consider them unacceptably outré. Six other New York-area FedEx employees have lost their jobs because of dreadlocks. They have sued, alleging religious discrimination; the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and New York’s attorney general have also charged FedEx with violating religious protections in the Civil Rights Act.
The dreadlock deadlock may be easing. FedEx altered its policy slightly a few weeks ago: in the future, observant employees who seek a waiver may wear their locks tucked under uniform hats, says a company spokeswoman. The concession isn’t enough to settle the lawsuits yet. The EEOC also wants reinstatement for the fired drivers, says trial attorney Michael Ranis. He’s optimistic. Some new styles, he knows, grow more appealing over time.