Dr. Maulana Karenga's INTRODUCTION TO BLACK STUDIES-4TH EDITION Usage of Sankofa (Word Study Part 3 of 3)

In this entry we turn to the Sankofa usage of Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach, the Creator of Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba as well as the Executive Director of Us/African American Cultural Center, LA, now in its 50th year of "work, struggle, service, and institution building."

In discussing Black History as the central field of the multi field discipline of Black Studies Dr. Karenga observes: "Black History is engaged here as the first field of study in the introduction to Black Studies for several reasons.  First, it is to emphasize the discipline's stress on the indispensability of the historical perspective in understanding social and human reality (Keto, 1994)."

Leading us to his usage of Sankofa, in the context of defining the relationship of Black History within Black Studies, Dr. Karenga writes: "Secondly, beginning with Black History stresses also the importance of the ongoing project of historical recovery in every field within Black Studies.  This process is called sankofa."

Moving to his explanation of Sankofa Dr. Karenga writes: "sankofa (is an) Akan word which means 'to return and recover it.'"

More, Dr. Karenga teaches us: "this (sankofa) involves returning to the rich resource of the African past, or history, and using it as a foundation to improve the present and enhance the future."

Turning to the Akan symbol of Sankofa Dr. Karenga explains: "The idea of sankofa is depicted as a bird reaching back with its beak into its feathers.  According to Niangorian-Bouah (1984 Vol. I:210), the sankofa bird 'is a symbol representing the quest for knowledge and a return to the source.'"

More, Dr. Karenga teaches us: "This (sankofa) process of returning to the source in the constant quest for valuable and diverse knowledge of African peoples and African culture has become the central concept and practice in all fields of Black Studies-history, religion, sociology, politics, economics, creative production, psychology, etc."

More still, Dr. Karenga teaches us: "It is from the ongoing process of sankofa that Black Studies scholars discover and recover some of the most important paradigms of African thought and practice.  And these data are used not only to constantly develop and expand the discipline, but also as a critical resource to understand and address the major issues of our time." (Our emphasis in the context of reorganizing ADLA-Chicago and nationally-inside and outside the ELCA)

Respectfully submitted: Rev. Joel Washington (Khunanpu Sangoma), Reformation Church-Chicago ("Young Barack Obama's community organizing sanctuary") and for SANKOFA FORUM: ADLA-Chicago's Elder Lions Round-Table for Africana Studies Education, 2-12-14