‘Sankofa’ to bring past and present African American history

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Erinn Williams

In the Ghanaian language, Sankofa means “to go back and take,” which is the theme for the Sankofa African-American Museum on Wheels.

Students can take a guided a tour through the past and present of African-American history at an interactive display on wheels. This moving museum will exhibit its historical collection of artifacts, pictures, drawings and writings in the Russell Union room 2047 on Thursday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The Multicultural Student Center is sponsoring the exhibit, which aims to educate Georgia Southern University students on the unique heritage and culture of African-Americans from the slave trade up to Barack Obama’s presidency.

“I appreciate the existence of this collection because it means that someone thought it was important enough to educate people about my culture, and I like that we are being shown in a good light,” Allegra Johnson, freshman international studies major, said.

Prominent figures including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Tuskegee Airmen and Ida B. Wells will have their own sections in the exhibit as well.

“The exhibit is taking place in order to give students the opportunity to be exposed through artifacts and documents to the uniqueness of African cultures including the Gullah-Geechee heritage that the museum comes from,” Darius Robinson, Multicultural Student Center graduate assistant, said.

A question and answer section will be held after the tour along with a presentation and proof of attendance will be provided.

Jessica Shanken, freshman history major, said, “As a history major I think it is amazing to learn about history that we don’t place enough emphasis on in many of our history classes. I’m excited that students can experience this, and I can’t wait to go.”