“Most people consider plaiting as braiding, specifically hair. So, the weaving texture at the bottom is thinking through braiding my sibling’s hair, braiding my hair and how that motion evolves into this evolving form of plaiting my grandmother engaged with. As an adult to revisit this (is to see) how a culture understood braiding as a way of maintaining their hair to braiding palms and a way to sustain life... It’s about a kind of resourcefulness. In other manifestations we’ve seen stories about women wearing rice or seeds in their hair when they take that transatlantic journey. That’s not my story but that’s my ancestors’ story. My story is braiding my hair so that I had time for my studies. My grandmother’s story is learning how to braid palms so that she can provide a life for my mother and aunt to go to college. So, you see this act of weaving manifests in ways that sustain us. That’s why it’s so important for me to build like this.”