Roots

There are times as a young black woman I find myself saddened because I can’t pinpoint where my roots lie. Especially now at a time when this country is feeling the pain of old wounds that never healed, being burst open once more. I’ve longed for the chance to raise a flag that represented me and where I come from – instead I’m forced to listen to pundits attack a football player for standing up for the wrongs he has seen and experienced. It troubles me to hear the heartless, ignorant commentary being made about Colin Kaepernick’s protest. Let it be said here – I stand with him. Because I understand.

That being said though I don’t have a place to call home, I do have the fabric of the motherland to connect me. The beauty of fashion is its ability to give us the chance to present who we are when we can’t always speak the words. This custom dress from Whitney Alix is my flag. It is my declaration to represent the roots that were severed so long ago.


I may not know now where my ancestors feet walked the ground but I am never too far from them with dresses like this to keep me close to them.

How do you express your roots in your style?