“to return and get it”

The Sankofa Symbol (san – “to return”; ko – “to go”; fa – “to fetch, to seek and take”). Photo Credit: amplifyafrica.org

Sankofa
The word Sankofa is from the Asante Twi language of the Akan people of Western Africa. The word itself means, “to return and get it”.

The concept of Sankofa “depicts a mythical bird flying forward with its head turned backward.
The egg in its mouth represents the ‘gems’ or knowledge of the past upon which wisdom is based; it also signifies the generation to come that would benefit from that wisdom.”

I was born in America. I am a descendant of a people who were kidnapped, transported to a new land, and sold into enslavement.

I am American, but I can’t shake this feeling of being out of place, this feeling of not belonging, and the constant disappointment of this country’s unwilling to face up to it’s ugly past and ugly present.

Searching, Finding, Honoring

Over the last ten years I have been seaching for my ancestors, and grasping to make sense of the unimaginable circumstances my people endured, that I AM HERE.
It is in the spirit of SANKOFA that I am able to share pieces of my journey to find my ancestors names, and stories and to continue moving forward KNOWING who I AM and that I AM.

Picture This

Unknown Family Grave

Rock of Ages

The fruit of seeds planted years ago by ancestors known and unknown.

This Land is My Land

Piecing together my ancestors.

Name That Ancestor

Born in 2020, this baby is is held in the arms of her Great Grandmother, my Mother, whose own Great Grandmother was born enslaved and who held her in her arms.

One Hundred Years From Now