The above image is of two carvings I purchased during my “Year of Return” visit to Ghana West Africa in 2019.
During this time African-Americans from all over North America (United States) returned to the “scene of the crime”, the forced enslavement of millions of my ancestors.
The country Ghana, West Africa has (currently) more enslavement forts (dungeons) than any other country in West Africa.
The symbol name at the base of the pictured carvings is called “Fawohodie” whose literal definition/translation means “independence” (freedom/emancipation).
This is an Adinkra symbol of the Akan people of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa.
What is Juneteenth?
Also called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, or Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the commemoration of June 19, 1865, the day enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, TX, learned that they were free.
While President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, it only applied to people in Confederate states, not those enslaved in Union-held territories (they were not freed until the
proclamation of the 13th Amendment).
In Texas, a Confederate state where there was no large Union Army presence, slavery continued for years after the Emancipation Proclamation and even after the 13th Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865 — as many enslaved people in the state were not aware of the news.
SUMMER PROGRAMMING
This will be our third year in partnership with the Seattle Public Library in support of our “Junior Storytellers” program.
Registration announcements will be going out shortly so be on the lookout!
Please feel free to review past sessions on the link below: