What We Carry Forward · Letter No. 1
Hye Won Hye, the Adinkra symbol of endurance
Long before I knew Hye Won Hye existed, I was living it.
I was raised in a single-parent home and was taking care of myself from a young age. I put myself through college, paying my own way and working three jobs to do it. In my career I’ve faced racism, sexism, and seasons of real financial hardship. As a young woman in my early twenties, there were plenty of times life felt dark, and plenty of situations that could have taken me out.
I thought I was going to burn.
What I didn’t know then was that there was a symbol for exactly what was carrying me. Hye Won Hye means “that which does not burn.” It speaks of imperishability: the truth that fire cannot consume what is truly yours.
But I could never be broken.
That resilience was already in my veins. My ancestors carried strength, wisdom, and traditions long before me. They endured unimaginable hardships, including slavery, and still passed something forward that could not be destroyed. That inheritance lives in us.
I’m older now, and I’ve crossed many of those bridges. But new fires still come. And when they do, I remind myself: no matter how hot it gets, it can’t burn me. It may be uncomfortable. I may even be afraid. But I will not burn.
Carry it this week
If you’re walking through fire right now, remember that the heat is real, but so is what cannot be consumed in you. You have come through before. You will come through again.
With gratitude,
Nakia Duncan
Founder, Adinkra Charms
About the symbol · Code 02 · Endurance
Hye Won Hye
“That which does not burn”
Read the full meaning →What We Carry Forward is a weekly letter on one Adinkra symbol. Subscribers receive each letter first, every Thursday evening.