About Us
The Crowned In Essence Collective
At The Crowned In Essence Collective, we center Black and natural hair as a site for learning, cultural expression, and collective possibility. Our work lives at the intersection of education, creativity, and community, creating spaces where Black hair is explored thoughtfully and across generations. Through curated programming, handcrafted Afro-resin jewelry, and locally rooted, globally connected initiatives, we invite participants to learn, reflect, and engage with the cultural, political, and creative dimensions of Black hair. Our programs are designed to be interactive and affirming, blending storytelling, creative projects, and collective reflection to spark curiosity and connection. Whether through youth workshops, reading and writing circles, global conversations, or collaborative gatherings, we prioritize community knowledge and lived experience as central forms of learning. The Crowned In Essence Collective is both a creative space and a cultural home—one that uplifts collective efforts connected to Black hair while resisting extraction. We believe that when Black hair is held with care, intention, and imagination, it becomes a powerful site for connection, expression, and future-building.
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About The Founder
Jolecia Saunderson
Jolecia Saunderson is the Founder/CEO of The Crowned In Essence Collective,
a cultural enterprise centered on Black and natural hair as knowledge, culture, and collective power. She is an alumna of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she earned a Master’s degree in Education Policy and Analysis, and of Brandeis University, where she earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in African & African American Studies, Politics, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her long-standing engagement and dedication to exploring power and justice in relation to Black hair has taken shape across multiple disciplines, from education, policy, politics, the law, and in creative endeavors. This foundation passion, and work first emerged in her undergraduate years, where she founded a student organization focused on Black hair and completed a senior thesis dedicated to this topic. Since then her work has expanded into legal, political, and leadership spaces—including advocating for legislative efforts such as the CROWN Act to be passed federally, creating community-based initiatives, working professionally with congressional offices, exploring this topic internationally, curating art exhibitions, and through delivering a TEDx Talk centered on Black hair. The Crowned In Essence Collective was created to bring these threads together by offering dedicated programming and a space where Black hair is explored proactively and creatively across generations, alongside uplifting community knowledge and collective efforts connected to this work.