The Meaning of the Sankofa Bird


The concept of SANKOFA is derived from King Adinkera of the Akan people of West Afrika. SANKOFA is expressed in the Akan language as "se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki."
Literally translated it means "it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot".

"Sankofa" teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone or been stripped of, can be reclaimed, revived, preserved and perpetuated.

Visually and symbolically "Sankofa" is expressed as a mythic bird that never forgets the innate power of his (her) heritage and therefore is able to fly beyond the limitations of expectation (thanks aunt prema).

Hiroshima and Nagasaki...

Hiroshima and Nagasaki...
When Racism and Foreign Policy Collide

Friday, November 7, 2008

From a conservative website: What do you think?

In this week's Kerwick's corner, Jack Kerwick examines what race relations will be like in a world beyond the 2008 presidential election.

From the column:

If Obama suffers a loss, his supporters generally, and his black supporters in particular, will insist, unabashedly, indignantly, incessantly, that it was because of “racism.” A Democratic-friendly media that has spent decades nurturing and shaping our culture’s “politically correct” orthodoxy, as well as, more recently, Obama’s pubic facade, will all too happily facilitate this insidious fiction. Distrust and unease between blacks and whites will deepen. If, on the other hand, Obama prevails, then inter-racial tensions -- over the long run, in any event -- will worsen to an extent perhaps even greater than that to which they will worsen in the wake of his defeat.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Ready or not...Change is on the way

On this election day, i have a lot to reflect about. The historic nature of this election has proven to be both exciting and heartbreaking. i have seen the some of the best and the worst of these here United States of America and its citizens. i have seen people put race behind them and on the front line. i have heard people say that race does not matter. i have heard people say they will not vote for a black president. i have seen the police talk about ramping up efforts to protect white america from the backlash of blacks if obama doesnt win. what i have not seen, is the police talk about what they will do to protect blacks if obama wins. funny...

as far as i know, there have been no reported incidents of blacks intimidating whites to vote for obama (although the young lady who faked her own ordeal would have us to beleive otherwise). there have been no people of color standing inside or outside mccain rallies screaming words like, "traitor", "terrorist", "cracker", "kill him", "he's a fundamentalist christian". ive never heard obama say that palin or mccain have a different america in mind than the rest of us. the examples go on and on. my point is this: the end of the road is near. the time for america's first black president is upon us. america will be faced with images that they have never seen before. so many cerimonial events for he and his family to attend. the image of a black family in the white house will be new for all of us. im looking forward to seeing how white america as a collective will respond.