WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: U.S. Affiliate Supreme Courtroom Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson attends inauguration ceremonies within the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes workplace for his second time period because the forty seventh president of the USA. Supply: Chip Somodevilla / Getty
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, amid the pomp of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Supreme Courtroom Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stood out from the gang. Seated amongst a sea of white conservatives and billionaires, Jackson’s ceremonial black robes had been complemented by a hanging cowrie shell collar—a deliberate and highly effective selection.
This was not merely a style assertion. The cowrie shells have been lengthy revered in Black and African cultures, symbolizing neighborhood, safety, resistance, and survival—values that stand in stark distinction to the ideologies at the moment taking heart stage within the White Home.
For the primary Black lady to serve on the nation’s highest court docket to put on such a collar was an act of quiet defiance. Jackson’s collar spoke of resilience and a deep connection to the cultural legacies that proceed to form the struggle for justice.
RELATED CONTENT: Trump Is Again—Right here’s What That Means For Your Zodiac Signal (And Your Sanity)
I Have A Nightmare—Martin Luther King Jr. Is Rolling Over In His Grave On Trump’s 2nd Inauguration Day [Op-Ed]
African man sporting hat adorned with cowrie shells. Supply: sruilk / Getty
All through the African diaspora, these tiny, oval-shaped shells maintain each non secular and cultural significance. They originate on the backside of the Indian and Pacific oceans, fashioned on the again of a sea snail. When the snail dies and decomposes, the shell stays, leaving numerous of those robust, speckled shells scattered throughout the ocean flooring to make their approach to a number of shores day by day.
Cowrie shells have had a number of makes use of all through historical past and African diasporic tradition. In West Africa, cowrie shells had been utilized in non secular rituals the place the white shell is related to purity, well being, progress, and perception. Cowrie shells are nonetheless used at present in Yoruba divination rituals. The shells, known as “the mouth of the orisha,” are utilized by a diviner when speaking with the orishas touchdown both face up representing a constructive reply, or face down representing a unfavourable reply from the deities. In some African traditions, cowrie shells symbolize fertility as their curved form resembles a pregnant lady’s stomach.
Hamer tribe lady, Dimeka, Omo valley, Ethiopia. Supply: Eric Lafforgue/Artwork in All of Us / Getty
Cowrie shells had been additionally an essential supply of wealth from as early because the 14th century. They’re believed to be the unique Pan-African foreign money originating in West Africa, however being utilized in commerce all around the world all through Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. In contrast to cash or paper cash, cowrie shells had been sturdy and visually interesting, with quite a lot of patterns throughout the tiny domed shell that made them tougher to counterfeit.
Cowries could possibly be incessantly present in style and conventional clothes, a apply that continues at present. Shells have been sewn into conventional African masks and robes, adorning clothes with the non secular image. Right now, cowrie shells are used to brighten braids, locs, and different pure hairstyles as a nod to our African roots. The shells may also be seen in some advantageous jewellery manufacturers and most not too long ago within the judicial bib worn by Justice Brown, the place dozens of cascading shells had been organized to adorn her robes (with a matching pair of cowrie earrings).
African pure hair bun with cowrie shells. Supply: JELWEI ARTS FASHION / Getty
Some historians imagine the shell was sewn into clothes and hair of enslaved Black Individuals as an amulet for defense from the horrors of slavery and to push back evil, making Justice Brown’s option to put on them as Trump enters his second time period all of the extra poignant. Black ladies are significantly weak below the brand new administration. These tiny shells are symbols of abundance, security, energy, and connection for Black folks at a time once we want these values probably the most.
RELATED CONTENT: They Tried It! 10 Black Ladies Who Have Publicly Supported Donald Trump
