Opinion I didn’t know what my dreadlocks meant until I cut them off

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March 20, 2024 at 5:45 a.m. EDT
David Moinina Sengeh, chief minister of Sierra Leone, after he cut his hair. (Kate Krontiris)
5 min

David Moinina Sengeh is the chief minister of Sierra Leone.

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — On Jan. 23, I represented my country’s government before the U.N. Security Council, where I called for a cease-fire in Gaza and justice for all parties. The following day, International Day of Education, I gave a lecture at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education on “radical inclusion,” a strategy for social justice outlined in my 2023 book with that title.

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