The Sankofa Art Exhibition: Learning from the Past to Build the Future is now open in the African American Cultural Center Art Gallery on the second floor of Witherspoon Student Center. The exhibition will run through October 10, 2021 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Sankofa privately opened on Friday, Sep. 10 with storyteller “Mama” Toni Thorpe. In attendance were students, staff, faculty, and community members who are among the friends of the African American Cultural Center. The evening concluded with a reception in the center’s living room on the third floor.

The concept of Sankofa derives from King Adinkera of the Akan people of West Africa. In the Akan language, Sankofa is expressed as “so wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki.” The translation of this African proverb in English expresses, “it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot.” Sankofa teaches us the importance of learning from the past to build the future.

The exhibition allows us to pause, learn and appreciate our past to inform and guide our vision of the NC State Black experience through a futuristic lens. Utilizing archival photography as the foundation, the exhibition showcases the historical evolution of Black folx, Black stories, Black spaces, and Black collectives here at NC State.

We look forward to welcoming you to our gallery as we reach back to claim what the past has to teach us, together.

• Contact Isaiah Lucas, program coordinator in the African American Cultural Center, with questions, for additional information or to schedule a private visit/discussion.