(Photo
by
CHIP
SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP
via
Getty
Images)
Yesterday
was
the
inauguration
of
Donald
Trump
as
the
47th
president
of
the
United
States.
In
between
the
billionaires
that
Trump
saved
the
best
seats
for
were
current
and
former
government
officials
in
attendance.
Though
Michelle
Obama
sat
this
one
out,
there
were
plenty
of
folks
there
who
just
seemed
to
be
bearing
witness
to
history.
Supreme
Court
justice
Ketanji
Brown
Jackson
was
one
of
those
who
showed
up
to
the
inauguration.
And
her
outfit
spoke
volumes.
On
top
of
her
judicial
robes
she
wore
a
jabot,
that
seemed
to
shout
a
deeper
meaning.
The
late
Ruth
Bader
Ginsburg
would
use
her
vast
collection
of
jabots
to
communicate
with
observers
(like
using
her
“dissent”
jabot
to
notch
her
displeasure
at
the
first
election
of
Trump).
And
that’s
exactly
what
people
think
KBJ
was
doing
yesterday.
Protection
against
evil?
That
feels
appropriate,
a
little
on
the
nose,
maybe
but
appropriate.
As
Vogue
notes,
the
meaning
for
her
sartorial
choice
feels
especially
meaningful
on
MLK
Day.
While
the
shell
was
used
as
currency
in
a
variety
of
ancient
cultures
around
the
world,
it
was
especially
prized
in
African
cultures,
where
it
signified
prosperity
and
protection.
Meanwhile,
the
National
Museum
of
African
American
History
and
Culture
notes
that,
in
America,
the
shell
is
thought
to
be
a
totem
used
to
resist
enslavement.
Justice
Jackson
herself
is
a
descendant
of
enslaved
people.
The
connection
feels
particularly
prescient
on
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
Day,
which
happened
to
coincide
with
the
Inauguration.
The
cowrie
is
also
associated
with
womanhood,
which
feels
pointed
at
the
man
who
once
boasted
of
grabbing
“them
by
the
pussy,”
and
whose
enduring
legacy
is
stripping
women
of
rights.
KBJ’s
jabot
is
a
beautiful
piece
of
art
with
a
poignant
message.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].