What is Sankofahoma?
Re-introducing the stories of Black people in Oklahoma
What is Sankofahoma?
“Sankofa” is a word of the Akan tribe of Ghana, meaning “To go back and retrieve.” (san = “to return”) + (ko = “to go”) + (fa = “to look, to seek and take”). This symbol often is associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi,” which translates to, “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.”
“Homa” is derived from the Choctaw language. Coming from the modern word “Oklahoma,” it was coined by Choctaw Chief Rev. Allen Wright as “Oklahumma.” Although “homa” or “humma” is considered to mean “red,” another writer on Medium, explains that it doesn’t have a singular meaning. Kahlalin writes that “‘Humma,’ when applied to people, is an honorific.”
Sankofa + Homa = Sankofahoma. The merging of the Twi word and Choctaw word signifies two important pieces of history. It acknowledges two points in the African diaspora of the people I am writing about. The capture of African people in the 1600s-1800s towards the North American continent and the removal of the “Five Civilized Tribes” from their indigenous home in what is now-known as the state of Mississippi. The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek (Mvskoke), and Seminole tribes were consider “civilized” because of their adoption of Anglo-American norms including slaveholding. Through these two diasporic events, it informs the rooted identity of many Black Oklahomans.
Sankofahoma means “To go back and retrieve the forgotten stories of honorable people.”
What’s the purpose of this blog?
I’m starting this blog with multiple purposes, but one primary mission:
Nina Simone once said, “ My job is to somehow make them curious enough or persuade them, by hook or crook, to get more aware of themselves and where they came from and what they are into and what is already there, and just to bring it out. This is what compels me to compel them and I will do it by whatever means necessary.”
Ms. Simone’s words has followed me for a while. Her conviction to make sure that Black Americans know who they are and the power in who they are and who they come from.
That’s my mission. In a time where Black history is being banned from schools (Common Ed and Post-Secondary) under the guises of banning “Critical Race Theory” by conservatives, it is more pertinent than ever to honor the work of Black historians like Carter G. Woodson and Oklahoma Black historians like Dr. John Hope Franklin, Clara Luper, Bruce Fisher, Anita Arnold, Currie Ballard, Hannibal B. Johnson, Dr. Karlos Hill and others.
It is my hope that this storytelling will instill a deeper sense of identity and pride within the Black folks that have ties in this colonized state that was stolen from the indigenous people of the now-known-as North American continent.
Our history isn’t rooted in this colonized state, but the history of the colonized state is a small piece of a larger, complex, messy, yet beautiful story.
Not just stories of resilience and racial justice will be told here, but also stories of every day Black life. Joy, hope and faith will be a central piece of this blog because that is the deepest roots of our honorable people.
Values
My leading value for this blog will be truth. History tells a unique story that holds many truths. It’s my promise to my readership and myself to lean deep into truth so that we may understand more fully and comprehensively.
You can check out my first publicly published piece in the 405 Business Magazine’s June/July 2022 issue focused on “State of Black-Owned Business.” As a contributor to the cover story, I got to write a bit about the history of Black businesses in Oklahoma City.
Thank you for following me on this journey and I hope you enjoy.
Connect with me via Twitter: @jd__baker.
CHECK OUT MY NEXT POST HERE: https://medium.com/sankofahoma/langston-university-a-school-of-our-own-72ceb64869ef
