The Oak Bluffs library has announced the lineup for this year’s Sankofa Festival.
Sankofa Festival is a celebration of African American literature and culture. The festival takes place from August 3 to 5. The lineup includes music, workshops, and panels.
On August 3, the festival will kick off with a talk from India Rose, the founder of the “M.V. Black-Owned Business Directory.” She will discuss the challenges of running a small business in a tourist economy, as well as the impact of the “Black-Owned Business Directory.”
Also on August 3, there will be workshops on personal finance, reiki, and art. The day will conclude with live music at the Summer Lawn Series.
On August 4, creator of “Tulsa Black Wall Street” Dawn Tree will host an author talk and signing.
Later that day, Balebe of Balebe Handcrafted Jewelry will hold a waist-beading workshop.
After the workshop, forager and Internet personality Alexis Nicole Nelson will host a plant walk. Known on social media as “Black Forager,” Nelson has amassed more than 4 million followers on TikTok.
On August 5, there will be a tap dancing class celebrating the Nicholas Brothers, an iconic African American dance duo.
Additionally there will be a walking tour of the African American Heritage Trail in Oak Bluffs.
Faith Mitchell, author of “Emma’s Postcard Album: Black Lives in the Early Twentieth Century,” will hold an author talk. “Emma’s Postcard Album” uses a young Black woman’s postcard correspondence to tell a story about American life in the early 20th century.
The festival ends with a contemporary writer’s panel, moderated by MV NAACP president Toni Kaufman. The panel is made up of NYT bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray, Tiffany Warren, Renee Daniel Flagler, and ReShonda Tate Billingsly.
Sankofa Festival began in 2016, when the Oak Bluffs library held an African American Literature and Culture Festival to honor the “Oak Bluffs: Power of Place” permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
In late 2018, the library renamed its annual festival the Sankofa Festival. The Sankofa bird is a symbol of West Africa’s Akan people, representing the idea that “it is not taboo to go and reclaim what you have left behind.” The library also uses the Sankofa bird to designate its African American collection.