Data collection and map drawing are interesting tools in trying to understand the past. They also have serious implications for how we approach the future. This week's articles explore that theme. We encourage the cartographers among us to visit our Resources for Teachers page for additional maps.

We were thrilled to learn that our work at the Sankofa Collaborative is reaching across the country! A volunteer from the Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama wrote to let us know that our website helped the scouts earn their Black History Month Celebration Fun Patches. They thanked us by sharing a resource for us: The Most Important Milestones in Black History You Need to Know About, by Academic Influence. We will be adding it to our list of resources!

Note: Occasionally we choose to share an article that may be restricted by a publisher's paywall. If you find you are unable to access a piece because of this, we invite you to contact your local library to view the article through their periodicals collection. It will also be a nice opportunity to say hello to the librarians in your neighborhood!

DATA POINTS

How Black cartographers put racism on the map of America | The Conversation

| NPR

SLAVERY - IT HAPPENED HERE, TOO

SAVE THE DATE!

On June 6, 2023 The Sankofa Collaborative will present "Slavery - It Happened Here, Too." This full-day program will be held at Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. African American History scholar Dr. Kendra Boyd will be our keynote speaker. Dr. Linda Caldwell Epps, President and CEO of 1804 Consultants will moderate. Stay tuned for details and registration information!

UPCOMING EVENTS

AASLH Learning: Commemoration Reconsidered: Ethics, Justice, and America's 250th Anniversary - Virtual Summit

What should we commemorate, how, and why? The U.S. 250th anniversary presents an opportunity to consider lessons from the past and present as we envision a more inclusive approach to commemoration.

For more articles, guides and other materials, visit the Sankofa Collaborative's Program Archives and Resources page.

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The Sankofa Collaborative helps people learn about, understand, and discuss African American history in schools, museums, libraries, civic groups, and other settings.

The Collaborative is the work of five New Jersey organizations - 1804 Consultants, Grounds For Sculpture, The New Jersey Historical Society, Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, and the William Trent House Museum. Our programs and website are made possible through generous grants from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and the New Jersey Historical Commission.

Sankofa, a word from the Twi language of Ghana, translates to "go back and get it." It is often depicted by a bird with its body facing forward and its head turned back, holding a precious egg. This and other Sankofa symbols remind us of the importance of learning from the past.

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How Black cartographers put racism on the map of America | The Conversation

New 'Latino' and 'Middle Eastern or North African' checkboxes proposed for U.S. forms

| NPR