Sankofa books for Black History Month
These are books that make you look back before moving forward.
Sankofa is one of my favorite Adinkra symbols. It means moving forward with a knowledge of the past. Can you think of anything more apt for this moment?
Well, the problem with Sankofa is that it isn’t a passing gesture. It takes work. And if there’s anything this moment demands of us, it is not to repeat past mistakes.
But we first have to know them…
So, sit with those elders.
Call on the histories of ancestors.
And read what I like to call “Sankofa books.”
For me, Sankofa books tell a people’s history — sometimes untold, other times misunderstood. Either way, these books force us to reflect before taking divine action.
Every year, I craft a reading list that fits this bill…
The 2025 Black History Bookshelf booklist is live and ripe for reading.
Here are some titles I’ve already started…
The book description reads, “A Visible Man traces an astonishing journey into one of the world’s most exclusive industries. Edward candidly shares how as a Black, gay, working-class refugee, he found in fashion not only a home, but the freedom to share with people the world as he saw it. Written with style, grace, and heart, A Visible Man shines a spotlight on the career of one of the greatest creative minds of our times. It is the story of a visionary who changed not only an industry but how we understand beauty.”
Written by my dear friend, Juanita Tolliver, A More Perfect Party tells an untold story of sisterhood, kinship, and political purpose shared between two people we thought we already knew. Or do we?
And while you know I’m not much for fiction, this book is on the tippy top of my must-read list for all the divided praise and disdain it has garnered. Historical fiction can elicit very strong feelings. I’ve been told to expect crass language and crude ways that were once completely permitted in American society. Alas, we read, lest we forget.
…here we go!
There are twelve books on my 2025 list, and I hope you, too, will commit to reading along with me this year.
Buy a title and read the histories that matter to you, share the stories worth being told and retold, and never forget to move forward firmly with a knowledge of the past.
Every Black History Month, I’m reminded that it’s never too late to make history!
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