Sankofa

It has been quite the journey, this first week in Mississippi. As I get acclimated to the slow-pace of life here - I am forced to find peace with myself, my new home, this new place.

I have titled this blurb Sankofa because it is my constant reminder of life’s purpose (tattoo on my left wrist). Although there are many interpretations of this west African symbol, I was drawn to its meaning of wisdom – address your past to create a more prosperous future.

When I first learned about this concept, or way of life, I was sitting in my first Black Studies class in undergrad. We watched the self-titled movie (which is sparse in the United States) and we discussed the influence of slavery on Blacks today. Despite that this was an introductory course, students of all backgrounds took part in this enriching discussion of how Black ancestry stems from Africa and how that has translated into identity politics today.

Yesterday I took some time to do some research on local museums in Jackson, and after much dissecting of websites I found the Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Center.

As I pulled up to the front of this gated building, I thought my gps had directed me to the wrong place. From the picture, you cannot tell that it is labeled as a school (home to the first school serving blacks in Jackson), but I was under the impression that I could just take a picture and continue my search for the museum. It wasn’t until I pulled out of the lot, that I saw a small sign with the hours of the Museum.

I had to ring the doorbell upon entry, and was greeted by an older black woman who seemed pleased to have some company.  Interestingly enough, the first thing I see, placed directly in front of the door was a marble piece – a Shona woman from a Zimbabwe tribe.

I am glad I turned around, it ended up being just me and my African American ancestry – an eerie silence filled with loud meanings.

My ancestry, my history – the stories just begun.

Mound Bayou Exhibit – The Promise Land

1887-2010

Mound Bayou was a self-sustaining all black town in the Delta, that served as a “promise land” for most black folks who lived in Mississippi. As I was cruising the exhibit, I realized how affluent this community was – home to a funeral home, hospital, convenience and grocery stores, a drug store and the only high school for “negroes” in miles distance as well as years. After a mysterious fire hit the downtown area in the 1940’s, the town has since struggled to maintain its once lively economy. This historic town is significant, in that it still remains 98 percent black – once the home to Benjamin Montgomery, Isaiah Montgomery (former slaves and founders of the land and township), T.R.M. Howard (one of the wealthiest blacks in Mississippi), and Medgar Evers.

Below are pictures from the exhibit.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After this exhibit, I wind around the hallway and come across a quilt exhibit in honor of Pecolia Warner. Beautiful designs. Then I’m lead upstairs where I found a number of African music instruments, figures, and colors tied in to the story or slavery. Here are some things I found.

The Whaling Woman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cotton Processing Ingredients

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alas, we cannot forget the opposition that came along with humanizing, blackness, and freedom.

Frightfully so, lives were taken signs were made.

My life would not be as it is today, had sacrifices not been made.

Had lives not been renamed.