What is your Sankofa?

My Black History Month spotlight, through the lens of a Girl Scout Brownie Leader and Mom

This weekend I was working with my daughter on her Brownie troop activities for a #BlackHistoryMonth badge.?One activity was to learn about the mythical #Sankofa bird from Ghana.?I wanted to share what she discovered as I think it’s a great metaphor for us all… (and all citation credit to Wikipedia, the foundation for 2nd grade research).

• Sankofa (pronounced SAHN-koh-fah) is a word in the Twi language of Ghana meaning “to retrieve" (literally "go back and get"),?and also refers to the symbol represented by a bird with its head turned backwards while its feet face forward carrying a precious egg in its mouth. Sankofa is often associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi," which translates as: "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten."?
• The sankofa bird appears frequently in traditional Akan art, and has also been adopted as an important symbol in an African-American and African Diaspora context to represent the need to reflect on the past to build a successful future. It symbolizes taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge.

I challenge YOU to (not only learn something about African history or culture but to) embrace your inner sankofa.?What are you taking from the past year and applying to the future – shaped by your critical learnings anchored in your values? I’m taking my learnings of the power of strong teams and collaboration – when working together, nothing is unachievable. It’s my inspiration to continue to collaborate and model a team-based approach to success and growth!