Simply put, Sankofa, from the Akan philosophical tradition, translated to mean, “return and fetch it,” speaks to the  the importance of returning to our roots, and applying it to present moments for positive advancement (Prendergast, 2011).

Sankofa is a concept drawn from the West African Akan communication system called Adinkra (Temple, 2010). There are hundreds of Adinkra that are represented by both symbol and proverb. Sankofa praxis informs us that (a) There is no shame in going back to claim (or remember) that which has been forgotten, and (b) Go back to fetch that which is forgotten in order to move forward.

Looking back to fetch the formerly federally incarcerated men at risk of being left behind: our project asks what goes into the Sankofa praxis and calabash gourd to facilitate the changes and provide the supports that were missing in the lives of formerly federally incarcerated Black Men who have a range of same-gender experiences, including same-gender sex, desires, relationships, identities, who enjoy and love other men, including but not limited to Gay, Bisexual, Gender-Diverse, Nonbinary, Trans and Queer Men.