On March 18th, Joel Mackall of Reidren LLC and Collin Knight of Live Like a Local Tours, along with Dzidzor Azaglo and Uta Poiger from the Reckonings Project, hosted “We Are Boston: A Jam Session for Culture & Memory Keepers”  at the Bruce Bolling Building in Roxbury. This networking workshop brought together about forty community historians, artists, storytellers, and collectors from across generations. Together we envisioned how honoring Boston’s rich community histories contributes to a more equitable future.

Dzidzor Azaglo started the evening by introducing a Sankofa practice. Sankofa is an ancient word in the Twi language of Ghana, meaning “to retrieve” (literally “go back and get”; san – to return; ko – to go; fa to fetch, to seek and take). In essence, if we are to move forward, we must reach back and seek what guides us. Sitting at round tables facilitated by Collin, Joel, and Reckonings students and staff, guests got to know one another by sharing their responses to “Who are you? And what connects you to Boston histories?” This activity is inspired by Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, an artist and archivist, who uses the Sankofa proverb as a grounding practice to ask “What is your Sankofa story?” The practice of Sankofa became the thread weaving  through conversations among participants, mapping and memory wall activities, and a panel discussion.

Mapping Activity, Memory Wall, Boston Books Look Table

During the mapping activity, guests discussed events, traditions, and places in Boston history that they want to see highlighted and then placed Post-its on a large map of Boston neighborhoods. On the memory wall, participants placed short notes about people they seek to remember and make more visible. And a long table with books about Boston served as another conversation starter.

How Can We All Contribute? –Panel

The evening concluded with a lively panel featuring Ebony Gill (Founder of Boston Urban Archive, Journalist & Storyteller), Ava Tiye Kinsey (Director of Education, Brooklyn Academy of Music & Playwright), and Lisa Simmons (Artistic/Executive Director, Roxbury International Film Festival). Together with the audience, they reflected on the complexity of Boston histories and encouraged everyone to think about the small ways in which we each can contribute to making and revising histories: by recording a grandmother while she is cooking, by talking to someone who has decided to leave Boston, or by preserving family photos and videos.  

The rich discussion featured multi-generational approaches to using creative mediums for community histories and sharing the responsibility of being a memory keeper.

Thank you to all the community members, panelists, professionals, and curious individuals who participated! The organizers are planning another workshop for the fall. 

The invitation to “go back and fetch It,” as the Sankofa proverb calls for, is one that we all must do together. It’s an invitation to remember the past as a way to move forward. 

You can check out the panel discussion here.