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.
John Henry "Jack" Yates (July 11, 1828 – December 22, 1897) was a hero recognized as the “Father of Black Houston. Yates works were not the cause of salvation, but evidence of his salvation. When Yates and his family first came out of slavery, in 1865, there were no institutions for African Americans in Houston. He helped establish Freedman's Town, purchased property, and began ministering to the community. In 1868, Yates was named the first full-time preacher of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, Houston's first Black Baptist church. As a community leader, Yates organized Houston Academy, now Booker T. Washington High School; Bethel Baptist Church; and Houston's Emancipation Park.
It is through Yates’ life and legacy that we can see that freedom takes work. Fueled by prayer and a connection to the unseen, there is no doubting Yates devotion and trust in the sacred or the divine. Black faith, today, is much more complicated. For many of us Christianity is a core element of our identities, even if we haven’t attended a church service in decades or led spotless lives. For those of us of different faiths, Black church is almost always rooted in our family lineage.
“Faith Without Works Is Dead” - James 2:14-26
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. This effort is led by artist Kristi Rangel and her fellow creative collaborators, Tamirah Collins, April M. Frazier, and Brittany Mayfield. Their collective efforts will result in several community-based activations designed to create beloved community fueled by radical joy and happiness.
Current Events
The Ancestor Question
The question of “what kind of ancestor do you want to be” stretches beyond how we individually want to be remembered by our descendants. It is about the systems that we set in motion, every moment of every day. Each of our actions connects people and places across time and space. The Sankofa Emancipation Project calls us to see ourselves already as ancestors. We are all future ancestors, so with the decision-making power that you have now, what kind of ancestor do you want to be?
Past Project Events and Photos
Defender Network - Sankofa Emancipation Project Houston
Defender Network - Sankofa EP Transforms Jubilee Day
CW39 - Sankofa Project Celebrates Juneteenth
Forward Times - Juneteenth in Full Bloom
Project Press
The Sankofa Emancipation Project Photo Session at the Eldorado Ballroom and the Juneteenth en Blanc event at Community Artists’ Collective were graciously supported by: Ion District, Third Ward Cultural District, DiverseCity Realty, and our community.
Jubilee Day Photo Credit
Photo 1: Woman parading through Freedman’s Town, Houston, TX, 1908. Photo by Photo by Schlueter.
Photo 2: Daniel N. Leathers, Jubilee Day, Corpus Christie, TX, 1913. Photo by G. McCuistion.
Photo 3: Martha Yates Jones (left) and Pinkie Yates (right), daughters of Rev. Jack Yates, Antioch Baptist Church, Freedman’s Town, Houston, TX 1908. Photo by Schlueter.
For more information about the Sankofa Emancipation Project please send an email to: sankofaep@thecollective.org