This morning, I was surprised to see that I have a gray eyelash. The sight of this new aging milestone, made me wonder, how many of my relatives have reached this stage in their lives. I contemplated pulling it out, so it wouldn’t stand out from the other lashes. It also reminded me of the conversation I had with my Grandma— Laura Gray— in June of 1971. It went something like this.
LG: “Here’s 35 cents, go get a haircut.”
DT: “I don’t need a haircut.”
LG: “You need a haircut, so you can look like folks.”
DT: “What folks?”
LG: “Your folks!”
DT: “I’m growing an afro, like everybody else. I won’t be getting my haircut for a long time.”
LG: “I don’t care what everybody else is doing. You should look like your folks, so when people see you out in public, they will know you’re a Gray.”
DT: “But I’m a Turner.”
LG: “Folks don’t know your last name. But they know your Mama, your Aunts, your Uncles and your Grandparents. Didn’t Mae Harris stop you the other day, when you were walking down the street by calling you Gray?”
DT: “Yes, but I didn’t know she was talking to me, which is why I didn’t stop at first.” (It was then, I found out Mrs. Mae had told my Grandma about our brief conversation.)
LG: “Well that’s what I mean, when I say you should look like folks.”
DT: “Thanks for the money, but I’m not cutting my hair for a long time. I’m growing my hair for as long as I can get it. And if everyone starts wearing a “Natural,” barbershops like Mr. Charlie Hughes, won’t be making any money.”
As I think back to that conversation with my Grandma, I’m again, grateful she didn’t press the issue of getting a haircut. I didn’t go into a barbershop for a haircut for the next 15 years.
As I look at myself in the mirror, I accept the “Natural” loss of melanin in my hair follicles, which causes it to turn gray. However, I do wonder why my right arm has long gray hair and my left arm has only black hair? Does this suggest my right arm is aging faster than my left arm?
I wondered which of my folks my Grandma would say I look like? And thanks to discoveries in DNA research and science, my Grandma would be surprised to learn that “my folks,” are spread across four continents. Their hair colors are black, brown, blonde, brunette, gray, green, orange, purple, red, white and some with no hair.
So, I’m sure I look like a lot of my folks, especially the old folks.
Derrick Turner is a native of Columbus who currently lives in Lansing, Michigan. He works for University Communications at Michigan State University and can be reached at [email protected].
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