Every month is Black History Month. The histories of Americans of African descent have been inextricably woven into the fabric of our nation and our culture since the first ship carrying enslaved peoples arrived in Virginia in August of 1619. Black History is American History.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Sweet Water Foundation continues to radically reconstruct history by collecting and amplifying untold stories and truths. To this end, we are embracing 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 is launching 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.
Beyond Black History Month, SWF has started the year off strong and looks forward to resuming in-person Sweet Water Academy and Arts + Culture programming in Spring 2021. SWF is also finalizing plans for the transformation of Civic Arts Church and will be sharing details and ways to contribute in the coming weeks.
Lastly, although temperatures in Chicago are well below freezing, we are already planning for the 2021 growing season and look forward to welcoming you to our Community Garden Center in early May.
At the end of 2020, Sweet Water Foundation unveiled its plan to transform an abandoned church in The Commonwealth into a community design center known as the Civic Arts Church. In January, the SWF team launched “Civic Arts Fridays” to activate the church and build momentum towards its transformation into a community design center in 2021. Read more.
On October 7, 2020, Sweet Water Foundation opened its inaugural exhibition in the Thought Barn, well · ness at The Commonwealth. The living exhibition explored water as the source of all life. Since October 2020, the exhibit has engaged nearly 2,000 viewers and visitors from across the nation in-person and virtually.Read more.
PEOPLE
Humans of Sweet Water
Artists' Conversation in the Gallery at [Re]Construction House
Late last fall, artists Ricardia Davis, Arzula Gardner, and Rhonda Long, all from Chicago, joined New Orleans native, Amy Stelly, to discuss everything from memories to mates. The conversation fostered the true mission of the [Re]Construction House: public engagement. Ricardia, Rhonda, and Amy are visual artists; and Arzula is a singer and actor. Collectively, their bodies of work speak to the ethos of the house: spirituality, civil rights, the Black experience, and the tradition of using available materials to create art. Read on to learn more.
EVENTS
What's Happening at The Commonwealth?
FRIDAY
FEB
12
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Sankofa Living Memory Series | Session 1 Reconstructing Historical Preservation
Join us on Friday, February 12 for a conversation between SWF's Executive Director, Emmanuel Pratt, and Angela Ford, Founder and Executive Director of The Obsidian Collection Archivesas they challenge traditional methods of historic preservation and offer a new way forward. The Obsidian Collection is 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.
Sankofa Living Memory Series | Session 2 Food As Medicine
Join us on Friday, February 19 for a conversation and cooking demonstration that explores health & wellness in the Black community and the importance of heritage practices and food as medicine. The Sweet Water Foundation team will be 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.
Sankofa Living Memory Series | Session 3 The Histories in Our Midst | A Conversation with Erma Sias Bien-Aime and Stephen Haymes
Join us on Friday, February 26 for a rich conversation featuring 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 will be 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 winter months, Sweet Water Foundation has been growing in and harvesting from its two hoop houses. On a cold, sunny day, the hoop houses have reached 60+ degree temperatures - which is a perfect environment for cold weather crops to flourish. One crop that is doing particularly well inside the hoop houses are turnips. SWF Fellows have been able to harvest turnip greens up to three days a week. Turnip greens are a good source of Vitamins A and K which support cardiovascular health and eye health. Turnip greens are often cooked, but can also be eaten raw.
