While all eyes were on President Donald Trump during his second inauguration, the country’s first Black female Supreme Court Justice caught the eye of Black America with one statement piece that has deeper meaning than you may know.
Sitting beside the other members of the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was dressed in her traditional black robes, but what stood out more than anything was her jewelry. Jackson was adorned in a beautiful cowrie shell necklace and matching earrings. Although the shells typically symbolize currency and wealth in many cultures, Jackson’s choice to wear the necklace on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s holiday and the inauguration of Trump suggests there’s something deeper to it all.
Ancient Shell History
The history of the cowrie shell dates back centuries. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the earliest record of cowrie shells were found in 14th century Africa. During this time, historians believe they were used as a form of currency, being traded for goods.
With the Europeans invasion into the African continent, cowrie shells were then used to trade slaves and weapons, according to the museum. The shells soon became a symbol of power and status. The more shells you had, the more power you had.
Connection to the Slave Trade and Fertility
The eventual introduction of the Atlantic slave trade slowly transformed the symbolism of the shells from strictly about wealth and power to now a form of protection for captured Africans traded to the new world, according to Gemnia.
Historians now believe cowrie shells were worn by enslaved Africans as a form of protection against the evil that awaited them in the Americas, according to the Smithsonian.
The cowrie shell also has deep ties to womanhood. According to The Met, the shell’s “resemblance to the female vulva and alternatively to a squinting eye is thought to underlie a magical association with fertility and with protection from the evil eye, respectively.
Jackson’s Fashion Statement
Given the historic and spiritual symbolism of the cowrie shell, it would at least be ironic that Justice Jackson chose such an adorning jewelry choice for a historic day. Trump, who has previously been found liable for sexual assault and has a documented history of discrimination against people of color, namely Black people, was sworn back into office on MLK Day, a coincidence that many find disturbing.
Jackson has not confirmed her intentions behind wearing the cowrie jewelry, but for any Black person watching Jackson sit in her black robe on MLK Day, you can speculate the type of statement she wanted to make.