Instead of looking for a sponsor for this challenge, I decided to sponsor this one in honor of the Maroon women from Suriname. While growing up, I often had my hair braided by Maroon women. Never did I realize how much they contributed to the history of the country I grew up in.

They were instrumental in leaving the plantations and building communities far from the cruel slave masters and deep in the rural areas.

Yet, I learned about Ma Pansa from “Tenderheaded” an American Hair book by Juliette Harris and Ntozake Shange: a Suriname Maroon who hid seeds in her hair so that her people would have food no matter where they would land. I can’t think of a better example to celebrate the global connection of Black History at its roots.

The garments are handmade by Johanna Huur who works from her studio in Suriname. Phone: +597 8899128. More about this challenge: Click here