get on board, children

Sankofa is a Akan word that means "We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today" (don't you wish one English word meant as much?)

the sankofa class at the seminary is one done to promote racial righteousness/reconcialiation -- whites are partnered with people of color and we take a trip down south to revisit famous landmarks and museums from the civil rights era. the museums were as museums are, but i really liked seeing the actual places -- the 16th st. church in Birmingham Alabama (where we were stuck for a day and a night while our bus was in danger of exploding), where the bomb killed those 4 girls, Medgar Ever's home.

But the best part was meeting Hollis Watkins, a former member of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), who is now doing leadership training and community organizing in Mississippi. he's not a young sprout anymore, but honestly one of the coolest people i have ever met in my lifetime. the civil rights movement is glamorized in a way, and it makes it hard for people to fight injustice today. racism today is more subtle and nuanced, more dangerous, as Hollis told us, because the subtle nature allows people to exist in a state of denial. but because today's freedom fighters are not leading marches (as much) or pushing dramatic boycotts or getting shoved off lunch counters, it's not getting as much attention. he also talked about lessons that could be learned from the movement, like working intergenerationally and encouraging indigenious leadership. he was also so freakin' humble, i didn't know what to do with him. amazing.

and he closed by singing with us:
get on board, children, children
get on board, children, children
get on board, children, children
let's fight for human rights