(Left to Right sitting) Mesheer Tat-Siaka, Billisse Haji, Khetasar Menheer, Elder Mahmoud El-Kati (Advisor and one of the founding members of the Sankofa Events and Series) Credit: In Black Ink
The nonprofit In Black Ink provides publishing arts initiatives and opportunities to communities that have been economically distressed and disenfranchised. The organization seeks to repair economic and educational damage to populations caused by prejudice and discrimination through cultural literacy programming, training, and access to opportunities.
Among its work is hosting annual intergenerational Sankofa events, a West African word meaning “go back and get it.” This year’s event, on Nov. 9, featured keynote speaker Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly, an author and scholar-activist at Wayne State University in Detroit, and 15 youth facilitators representing a range of schools and experiences.
“Sankofa is about staying connected to history and heritage and allowing the past to instruct and keep you grounded as you move into the future,” said In Black Ink Executive Director Rekhet Si-Asair. “It’s a way of inspiring change through engaging discussion and reflection.”
The group provides opportunities for African heritage literary artists to publish work “by us and about us to advance equity in the predominantly Eurocentric publishing industry by educating, training, and hiring African/Black publishing arts professionals at every level.”
Large gatherings like Sankofa allow people to connect and celebrate.