Lappa is an object that represents my family cultural identity; A Lappa is a colorful garment  worn in West Africa by both men and women. My great grandmother has been wearing Lappa since she was a little girl, it is the only thing she knows how to wear; She raised all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to wear Lappa. Lappa has always been a big part of my life. Wearing Lappa during a graduation ceremony or wedding is a way of showing respect to your tribe because it shows that even though you wear regular clothes everyday you still have the tradition in you. My family immigrated from Liberia to the United States of America. My family story is unique because we are very creative; we can wear Lappa like an Indian Sari or we can sew into pants, shirt, skirt, head tie, bag, hats, shoes and even dress so we have more than one option to wear our Lappa. My family story is connected to people in Africa, especially people from Sierra Leone, Ghana and  Nigeria because people from these places also wear Lappa but they call it a different name and their style is different too. Different styles show which country Lappa is from.
Lappa means a lot to my family, it is something that is passed down from generation to generation. We wear it to every occasion, usually we buy the Lappa and sew it into our own design. When we wear Lappa, we make sure the head tie and the dress match or the shirt matches the bag and the pants, that is how my family like to wear their Lappa. 

– CF

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant