Sankofa

Sankofa: Honoring Our Stories is a project celebrating the stories of Black residents of South Orange, past and present, to create a meaningful narrative of the contributions and impact of Black residents on South Orange.

Sankofa is a Kiswahili term that means go back and fetch it.
We cannot move forward without knowing our past.

Discover the stories online and visit them in-person using the Walking Tour Map.

These stories from Black residents of South Orange, past and present create a meaningful picture of the contributions and impact of Black residents on South Orange. The stories were gathered through socially-distant interviews conducted with the storyteller by students from the Columbia High School Black Students Union.

Presented by the South Orange Village Center Alliance (SOVCA) as part of the South Orange Village Black History Month Celebrations and made possible by a grant from Main Street New Jersey.