Sankofa Living Memory Series Recap

In celebration of Black History Month, Sweet Water Foundation embraced the practice of Sankofa, reaching back to the knowledge and wisdom of the past and bringing it into the present in order to build a more radical and imaginative future.

This February, SWF launched the Sankofa Living Memories Series, an ongoing series designed to uplift the wisdom of elders and ancestors and share and preserve their memories and practices. The series also seeks to disrupt and reconstruct traditional historical preservation methods to amplify the rich African American heritage and history in our midst.  

The first three sessions of the series welcomed local residents, elders, historians, and artists to celebrate the past, while cherishing the present and creating a pathway for the future. A diverse and intergenerational mix of individuals from across the country joined the events virtually.

Read more about the Sankofa Living Memories Series events.

Reconstructing Historical Preservation

On Friday, February 12, SWF held its first Sankofa Living Memories event focused on the notion of historical preservation and questions such as: Towards what end should history be preserved? Who decides which aspects of history are to be preserved, how are they to be preserved, and what is to be forgotten?

The event featured conversations between Angela Ford, Founder and Executive Director of The Obsidian Collection Archives, Emmanuel Pratt, SWF's Executive Director, and Stephen Haymes, Professor of Africana and International Studies at DePaul University and author of Race, Culture, and the City. They challenged traditional methods of historic preservation and offered a new way forward. Throughout the event the audience viewed photographs from the Obsidian Collection, a national non-profit organization focused on getting the images and articles of African – American newspapers and small archives into the marketplace and on the Internet.  

Food As Medicine 

The second Sankofa Living Memories event, held on Friday, February 19, featured conversation and a cooking demonstration that explored health & wellness in the Black community and the importance of heritage practices and food as medicine. The Sweet Water Foundation team was joined by Orrin Williams,  Executive Director of the Center for Urban Transformation in Chicago and Food Systems Coordinator, UIC Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion, University of Illinois Hospital and Health Science Systems in Chicago; Stephen Haymes, Professor of Africana and International Studies at DePaul University and author of Race, Culture, and the City; and Candis Castillo, a local resident and community leader.

The conversation was followed by a cooking demonstration in [Re]Construction House with Candis. This was the first time SWF has hosted a cooking demonstration at [Re]Construction House. Despite being in the middle of winter, with 2+ feet of snow on the ground, the cooking demo featured freshly harvested greens from SWF’s hoop houses. Candis delivered a step-by-step walk through of a simple, vegan recipe for gumbo z’herbes that she learned to make while living in New Orleans. 

The Histories In Our Midst

The third Sankofa Living Memories event on Friday, February 26 featured a rich conversation with Miss Erma J. Sias Bien-Aime', a prized educator and lifelong learner, whose personal journey and preservation of Black History makes her a living legacy. She was joined by SWF's Executive Director, Emmanuel Pratt, and Stephen Haymes, Professor of Africana and International Studies at DePaul University and author of Race, Culture, and the City.     

During the event, Miss Erma shared her early beginnings in the Mississippi Delta, her journey to Chicago during the Great Migration, and connection to Sweet Water Foundation. She was joined by her grandson, Mike David Thomas, a filmmaker who is documenting his grandmother's story for the rest of their family. Not only was Miss Erma’s story important to share and remember, it is a critical story to capture and share with future generations. 

SWF Board of Elders member, writer, and teacher ‘Mama Victoria’ Pratt Davis shared a detailed and beautiful reflection of the event, entitled Living Memories.  Click here to read her piece.

Sweet Water Foundation is grateful to all participants for sharing their Living Memories with our community. SWF would also like to thank the Public Media Institute for their media support.