Amber Henry
Road to the Sea

New York-born anthropologist with an extensive career path as a researcher, teacher, artist, and activist in Cartagena. Since 2010, she has collaborated with several Palenquera women organizations in Cartagena and San Basilio de Palenque to help them achieve greater inclusiveness in the city and create new sources of work. In 2011, together with the Mujeres Raíces de Benkos Association, she helped launch the first Afro-Colombian hair salon in Palenque, where women develop natural products based on medicinal plants and teach the history of Afro-Colombian hairstyles and how they are related to freedom in Palenque. Amber is a student at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is pursuing a PhD in cultural anthropology and African studies. She is currently conducting her field work in Cartagena thanks to a Fulbright scholarship.