WELCOME

Dear Friend,

Welcome to Our Griot. We want to take a moment to share with you why we began this project and also reflect on our work this year. We are grateful  for your interest in and support of our collective movement.
 

When 2020 began, we could never have imagined how this year would unfold. We saw the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the alarming resurgence of racial injustice and civil uprisings. We heard the embryonic framing of new narratives of American history and felt compelled to develop a medium to capture, record and preserve that history from our perspective: a very different narrative than that which we were taught. 

The current crisis compelled us to have inspiring conversations about how we survived 400 years of chattel slavery, Jim Crow laws and systemic racism seamlessly woven into the American fabric. If we do not tell our stories, who will? How will our children’s children know how we made it, in spite of overwhelming odds? 

Our Griot was developed from our collective passion to capture and celebrate the richness of our histories forged by our unwavering commitment and perseverance to create a brighter future for our children. The social activism of 2020 precipitated by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice and far too many others do not become part of the American history our children learn. We must develop a repository for our stories, our families and our generations of children to come. 

The richness of the Kente cloth comes from Ghana, dates back more than 400 years and is woven. Ghana was one of the ports with the “doors of no return” for our slave ancestors. We must weave the histories of our stories into the new American narrative: this country, which was stolen from native Americans, was built on the backs of people stolen from another continent and enslaved to provide free labor and unlike others, we have NEVER received our reparations. 

WE must tell our stories: how our parents and grandparents sacrificed for us, taught us and shared so many wonderful experiences with us building memories we can pass on to our children. 

YOU have an opportunity to create an amazing repository for your family’s stories. We are available to help you develop an individualized library, family tree and memorialize that history for posterity. 

Please complete the contact us form and we will be in touch directly.

All our best,