Roots Rising

Hair braiding evolved into a powerful tool of resistance against enslavement across the Americas. In her groundbreaking work “Freedom Braids” (2024), researcher Monique Duncan documents how enslaved women in Colombia encoded escape routes within intricate braiding patterns. The community of San Basilio became particularly known for cornrow designs that subtly mapped rivers, safe houses, and freedom paths—knowledge invisible to enslavers yet clear to those who understood the code.

These braiding traditions transcended mere communication. When enslavers deliberately separated tribal members to prevent rebellion, hairstyles became silent identifiers of ethnic origin and cultural belonging. Braiding sessions transformed into sacred gatherings where stories, songs, and ancestral wisdom flowed freely between generations. This embodiment of Ubuntu—the philosophy that “I am because we are”—strengthened community bonds even under brutal conditions.

The legacy continues today, with braiding practices throughout the Caribbean and United States standing as living symbols of African heritage, cultural resilience, and collective memory.

Reference:

Duncan, M. (2024). Freedom Braids. HarperCollins.

By Roland McFadden, MA