Mr. Daniel. N. Leathers Sr. Corpus Christi, 1913, photographed by George McCuistion

Sankofa Emancipation Project

Sankofa, a principle derived from the Akan people of Ghana, teaches that one should remember the past to make positive progress in the future. It challenges us to consider our identity, culture, and personhood as we look back and forward.

The “Sankofa Emancipation Project” taps into the creativity, hopes, and understanding of the continued fight for freedom of our ancestors.  It reconnects us to the history, radical joy, and celebration of “Jubilee Day”. Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, began one year later in 1866 and the new holiday was celebrated in several places across Texas. Former enslaved people and their descendants living in far-flung parts of Texas made a pilgrimage to Galveston, dressed in their finest clothes, partly in response to the pre–1865 statewide laws that had prevented enslaved people from dressing in any clothing not given to them by those who held them in slavery.  Several photographs from these early years of celebration — vividly illustrate elegantly dressed groups in horse-drawn carriages decorated with flowers down to the wheels.

The “Sankofa Emancipation Project” invites us all to look back on our history, and remember that freedom is joy, the reciprocation of human respect, and the ability to live in dignity.

“You will be someone’s ancestor- act accordingly” —Amir Sulaiman

Event Dates

Events are free and open to the public.

June 7th—Sankofa Emancipation Project Photo Session/Register at Eventbrite
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
El Dorado Ballroom
2310 Elgin Street
Houston, Texas 77004

June 19th—Juneteenth en Blanc/Register at Eventbrite
12 PM-5 PM
Community Artists’ Collective
4111 Fannin, Suite 100A
Houston, Texas 77004