Sankofa: Look Back, Progress Forward
Last week, our KEY students wrapped up their first semester of school. A school year that started within the confines of their homes. A school year that is marked by using the chat box and turning cameras on. A school year that relies on devices and screens, rather than a building, to remain connected.
To wrap up the semester, we spent time leaning into the spirit of Sankofa, “a metaphorical symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana, generally depicted as a bird with its head turned backward taking an egg from its back. It expresses the importance of reaching back to knowledge gained in the past and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress” (www.sankofa.org). In our virtual circle session, we reflected on the questions: What are you proud of from S1? What did you learn from S1 that you hope to bring into S2? At our in person session (below), we remembered events from 2020 and dissected the emotions that we associated each event with.
As I listened to our KEY students in these spaces of reflection, I walked away with this:
Things were hard and different and new. Some things have changed since then; most things have not. The constant in our lives is ourselves. We are the ones who choose each day to see the beauty, to ask for help, and to continue to learn. We do our best to choose what enters into our lives and what does not.
Our youth are wise. We can never truly understand what this year has been like for our children, our adolescents, our young people. When I read the KEY Mantra, I am humbled and encouraged as I am reminded that our present and our future will be led by leaders who understand that:
The only person who can stop me is me.
Life is tough but so am I.
Life is rough but I will thrive.
I will be because I say I will be.
As we move into a new month and a new semester, we explore a new topic series with our students in the spirit of Sankofa. Looking back to the history of our community on the south side of Chicago and understanding the complex, racially charged story of our city, we will seek to understand and learn what it means to make positive progress. I hope you’ll find pockets of moments to also sit in the spirit of Sankofa so that we collectively can move forward with flourishing because of the knowledge gained from the past.
Thank you as always for your partnership,
Sonia Wang, Executive Director
