Sankofa

Photo by CWACM member

The sankofa bird, with its head turned backwards while its feet face forward carrying a precious egg in its mouth, appears frequently in traditional Akan art. It has also been adopted as an important symbol in an African-American and African Diaspora context to represent the need to reflect on the past to build a successful future.

This carving was a gift from The Church Within A Church Movement to former executive director, cathy knight, upon retirement in 2019.

I thank God and am humbly grateful to CWACM, Vernice Thorn, and all others who not only had the foresight to envision this historic Summit, but who also have dedicated their time, energy, commitment, and resources to transform this unbelievable dream into a once-in-a-lifetime reality. It has been said that those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it. Therefore, I am glad to have been invited to be a member of this group so that we, together, might be reminded not only of where we have come from, but also of where we are going.

Every day we witness the senseless violence and atrocities that certain groups of people inflict upon other groups of people simply because they are different. Whether this difference is based on race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, ethnicity, national origin, wealth, power, politics, or anything else, some in this nation and in this world seem to be desperately attempting to turn back the hands of time. But we have “come this far by faith,” and we’re not going to let anybody turn us around.

“Sankofa” – an African word that comes from the Akan people of Ghana – literally means “to go back and fetch it.” In other words, we go back to our roots not to stay back, but to move forward. That is, we 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 into the future. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone, or been stripped of can be reclaimed, revived, preserved, and perpetuated. But as we move forward, the knowledge of the past must never be forgotten.