SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Legacy of Hair event, held on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at Inglot, Carrefour Bush Road, brought together community members, models, creatives, vendors, and cultural supporters for an evening dedicated to honoring the history, resilience, and identity connected to Black hair and headwraps.
Held under the theme “Wear Your Crown. Honor the Journey,” the event was developed as a visual storytelling and cultural awareness initiative highlighting the historical and ancestral meaning of Black hair, particularly within the context of slavery, survival, resistance, and reclamation.
The project was supported by the Slavery Memorial Committee and led creatively by Kenty Lichtenberg of Keraï Kreative Style / Be Your Own Brand, with the goal of creating a meaningful space where remembrance, education, beauty, and cultural pride could come together.
The evening featured the unveiling of a powerful portrait series titled “Then & Now: Hair, Strength & Legacy.” The series was created during a themed photoshoot held on April 18, 2026, at Focus Forward Studios and followed an emotional journey from pain, loss, and hidden strength to resistance, awakening, healing, legacy, pride, and identity.
Through the portraits, the project explored how hair has carried memory, identity, and cultural meaning across generations. During slavery, hair and headwraps were often tied to control, survival, practicality, and cultural loss. Yet, over time, they also became symbols of dignity, resistance, beauty, and pride.
“Legacy of Hair was created to remind us that hair is not just appearance,” said project lead Kenty Lichtenberg. “Hair is history. Hair is identity. Hair is resistance. Hair is a crown that carries the stories of those who came before us. This project allowed us to honor that journey while creating space for reflection, education, and pride.”
Approximately 40 persons attended the intimate reveal event, which included cultural reflections, vendor presentations, refreshments, entertainment, educational discussions, and community engagement. Attendees described the event as powerful, inspiring, educational, emotional, and deeply meaningful.
After the event, strong positive feedback from attendees, models, vendors, and contributors was shared with the organizers. We can definitely say that they overall experiencde, 100% meaningful cultural and heritage impact, and strong interest in seeing the project continue through future exhibitions, school outreach, and public displays.
One attendee described the portrait reveal as “stunning, powerful, meaningful, and beautifully connected to the message of the event,” while another noted that the event created an opportunity to reflect on the history, resilience, and legacy of those affected by slavery.
The project also sparked important conversations about the need for continued public visibility. As part of the next phase, the Legacy of Hair portraits are expected to be shared through rotating exhibitions, business displays, and school outreach programs. Quality Healthcare Clinic has already expressed willingness to host the posters as an exhibit for one to two months before rotating to other locations.
The continuation plan also includes approaching high-traffic venues, inviting businesses to display the portraits, connecting the exhibition to Emancipation Day activities, and developing monthly school visits to educate students and teachers about hair culture, identity, slavery’s impact on cultural loss, and the ongoing reclamation of identity.
The school outreach component is expected to include conversations not only about Black hair, but also about hair across cultures, including Caucasian and Asian hair, creating a broader cultural dialogue around identity, belonging, and self-expression. Collaboration opportunities are also being explored with other local and regional hair movements.
The Slavery Memorial Committee’s support helped make it possible to transform the Legacy of Hair concept into a meaningful public experience. The event served as a reminder of the importance of preserving history, honoring ancestral memory, and creating spaces where future generations can better understand the connection between culture, identity, and freedom.
“Legacy of Hair is more than an event,” Lichtenberg added. “It is a cultural statement. These portraits are too valuable to be stored away. They deserve to be seen, discussed, and used as tools for education and healing.”
The Legacy of Hair team extends sincere gratitude to the Slavery Memorial Committee, Inglot, the participating models, vendors, creative and organizing team, volunteers, and all attendees who contributed to making the project a memorable and impactful experience.
Wear Your Crown. Honor the Journey.
