Amid symbolic colors, a hat of mass distraction and a Hollywood reference at Monday's swearing-in ceremony of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, one figure stood out with a much deeper symbolism: U.S. Associate Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Justice Jackson chose to accessorize her black robes with a striking collar crafted from cowrie shells, complemented by matching earrings. Shells, always a timeless adornment, carried a profound meaning in this context.
Cowrie shells, particularly those of Cypraea moneta, known as the money cowry, served as currency across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Traded for goods and services as early as the 14th century, their significance endures. In Benin, for instance, giant cowries adorn the exterior of the Central Bank of West African States, a symbolic nod to their historical role in commerce (View this photo).
Had Justice Jackson simply alluded to the power of money and of billionaires in Trump's life and presidency, it would already have been a pointed statement. But her choice carried deeper layers of meaning.
In many African cultures, cowries hold a dual role as symbols of beauty and protection. They are worn as jewelry or hair ornaments, stitched onto garments, and incorporated into rituals. The shells serve as amulets, believed to safeguard their bearers.
But there is something more behind these shells. The National Museum of African American History and Culture highlights this complexity on its website: "Cowrie shells were more than money. They also represented power in trade. Europeans in the 16th century were able to use cowries to enter the valuable African trade markets, where they used shells to buy goods, including people (...) Knowing that Africans used cowries as charms for protection, historians speculate the cowries may have been brought to America as talismans to resist enslavement."
The swearing-in ceremony coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and perhaps Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's choice of accessories also hinted at Black culture, history and racial discrimination. Besides, the cowrie shell is also a symbol of femininity and fertility in many cultures, and may have been a powerful statement against Trump's anti-women record (many seem to have forgotten that this is the same Trump who was found liable for sexual abuse in May 2023).
While Justice Jackson has not publicly explained her choice, it's tempting to interpret her cowrie collar and earrings as an expression of dissent, following the tradition of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In the documentary "RBG", directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, Ginsburg explained the origin of her jabots, which became feminist symbols: "The standard robe is made for a man because it has a place for the shirt to show and the tie, so Sandra Day O'Connor thought it would be appropriate if we included in our robe something typical of a woman."
For Ginsburg, the collars were more than an accessory, they were a declaration. They symbolized that one didn't need to adopt masculine attire to excel in a traditionally male-dominated role. Beyond aesthetic appeal, her collars conveyed purpose. A piece gifted by her law clerks marked majority opinions, while a black rhinestone-adorned collar was reserved for dissent.
Justice Jackson's choice of cowrie shells also resonates within contemporary African design. Ivorian designer Dion Dewand Marcia Lafalaise frequently incorporates cowries into her pieces for her label Lafalaise Dion. Two of her works - "Mami Wata" (2019), a cowrie-adorned headpiece, and "Tankë Short" (2022), a skirt crafted from shells - were featured last year in the exhibition "Africa's Fashion Diaspora", at the Museum at FIT in New York. These creations showcase the enduring significance of cowries as symbols of cultural identity, spirituality, and resilience.
Dissent against Trump's policies extended beyond the swearing-in ceremony. Yesterday, during the traditional interfaith prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, delivered a calm yet resolute appeal for mercy on behalf of communities affected by his immigration and LGBTQ+ policies.
On his first day in office, Trump wasted no time signing executive orders that rolled back protections for transgender Americans, sought to enforce a binary definition of sex, recognizing only "male" and "female" and laid the groundwork for mass deportations. He also initiated plans to dismantle birthright citizenship and put all federal employees working in DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) offices on paid administrative leave, effectively closing these programs and ending their initiatives.
Speaking with grace and resolve, Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde delivered a poignant sermon stating: "In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives."
"And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the nightshift in hospitals, they may not be citizens, or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals, they pay taxes, and are good neighbours. They are faithful members of our churches, mosques, synagogues, gurdwara and temples (…) Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land."
When asked by a reporter what he thought of the sermon, Trump dismissed it as "not too exciting," as if it were a poorly edited action film rather than recognizing it as a direct critique of his divisive policies. Later, in a post on Truth Social, he attacked Budde as "nasty in tone" and "not compelling or smart."
But the reverend's credentials speak for themselves. Budde holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Rochester and both a master's in divinity and a doctor of ministry from Virginia Theological Seminary. She is a published author and the first woman to serve as the spiritual leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. She already attacked Trump in June 2020, when she published an op-ed in The New York Times condemning Trump's photo opportunity holding a Bible in front of St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington DC, after peaceful protesters were removed by force by federal officers as they demonstrated against the murder of George Floyd.
Judging by the expressions on the faces of President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, as well as the outrage among Trump's supporters, Budde's words had landed precisely where they were meant to: a clear critique of his administration's policies and rhetoric.
Resistance in this climate is challenging, but it's not impossible. Whether through symbols, like Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's cowrie shell collar, or through words, gentle yet firm, like Rev. Budde's sermon, dissent remains alive.
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