Damon Landor has become the center of a dispute over religious freedom for prisoners in the United States. Landor is a devout Rastafarian who had grown his dreadlocks for more than 20 years as part of his religious practice, making his hair long enough to reach his knees. On Tuesday, June 23, Landor unsuccessfully asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow him to sue prison guards for shaving his head.
Rastafarianism is an Afrocentric spiritual and cultural movement that traces its roots to Jamaica in the 1930s. Followers, often called “Rastas,” regard it as a complete religion with spiritual practices that shape their philosophy of life. One such practice is the growing of dreadlocks, which symbolize spirituality and separation from what adherents call Babylon.
