“Go Back and Get It, We Got It”

The concept of the Sankofa adinkra comes from Ghana, it means, “Go back and get it,” and aligns with the African proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyiri,” or “It is not taboo to go back for what you forgot,”.

Traditionally, the adinkra has the bird with its neck reached backward to retrieve an egg from its back. The design for the AAHRC logo was inspired by this design, when creating the logo we wanted to honor the African proverb.

The logo features the bust of a black woman with sparks flying around her brain, and inside there is the Sankofa adinkra with the bird now facing forward with the egg. The choice to have the bird forward in the design is to show that the knowledge from the past has now been brought forth, this is to symbolize that we are moving to the future with the knowledge of the past.

This choice honors the proverb while honoring that we as Black people, despite centuries of attempts to destroy the mind and body, still proceed to the future with knowledge and awareness of ourselves.