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Bozoma Saint John - DVF IWD Event - March 3

Source: JP Yim / Getty

Bozoma Saint John, the former head of marketing at Netflix, accompanied Vice President Kamala Harris on “her historic first visit” to Ghana this week.

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The nation’s first Black and South Asian Vice President traveled to the motherland for a weeklong trip with the hope of strengthening ties between African officials and the Biden administration.

On Instagram, Saint John, 46, reflected on the iconic moment, sharing photos of herself decked down in a beautiful African printed gown created by Ghanian designer MIMMY YEBOAH. Several pictures captured The Urgent Life author schmoozing with Harris and Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo.

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“It’s a FLEX. The reality is that I’m both American AND Ghanaian,” the Apple Music executive captioned her post. “For much of my life, I’ve moved in both worlds, not being enough of either, until I accepted myself as I am: a whole made up of many histories, triumphs, tragedies, fractures, legacies, and dreams.”

Although she’s worked closely with President Akufo-Addo in the past on initiatives to progress the West African country, the business guru said there was nothing like sharing the special moment with Harris. In some ways, the experience brought her closer to her multicultural roots.

“The opportunity to be in the delegation accompanying American @vp Kamala Harris on her historic first visit to Ghana during this administration, on the invitation of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana @nakufoaddo, is the perfect realization of my identity,” Saint John continued. “Even though I’ve been in the inner circle as The President of Ghana’s Ambassador and Special Envoy to the diaspora, and helped to orchestra the Year of Return (with @queennad_5b and many others), it is this moment that has become full circle.”

 

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Further along in her caption, the busy marketing titan went on to share the significance of her dress, which YEBOAH designed to include elements of the Ghanaian adinkra symbol. The special emblems contain powerful meanings and are often seen on fabrics and logos throughout the country.

Saint John wrote that her dress was a direct reflection of her identity and  “of so many diasporans.”

“We are branches of ancestors in the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean with roots in Africa,” she continued. “Therefore, the center of my dress reflects my identity. The combination of Gye Nyame (the omnipresence of God), Ada (resilience and perseverance), and Osram (the moon and North Star). This is a new Adinkra symbol to honor the people of African descent in the diaspora.”

 

Kamala Harris grew emotional during her visit to Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle

On March 28, Vice President Kamala Harris paid an emotional visit to Cape Coast Castle, a colonial-era seaside fort where millions of enslaved Africans were held captive before they were packed into ships and sent to the Americas.

While reflecting on the atrocity of the slave trade, Harris grew emotional during a speech in front of the historical site.

“The horror of what happened here must always be remembered,” she said, according to the Associated Press. “It cannot be denied. It must be taught. History must be learned.”

Harris went on to detail the pain “that reeks” throughout the fort and spoke bluntly of the horrors that captives endured during their difficult voyage to the Americas.

“And yet, they survived,” she said, struggling to hold back tears. “All of us, regardless of our background, have benefitted from their fight for freedom and justice.”

 

 

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