Edmund Royster © 2023, SCW © 2023 Greeting:  Go back and fetch it. Embrace your history for a brighter future. Happy Kwanzaa. Sankofa is from the Akan language of Ghana, meaning, "go back and get it." Sankofa reminds all of us, and particularly those descended from enslaved Americans, to know the stories and understand the struggles of our cultural past. The mythical bird symbol with its head turned back represents the importance of learning from the past to inform and guide our present and future. Drawing on African traditions, Kwanzaa (December 26 - January 1), celebrates seven principles for a strong African American community: UMOJA - Unity; KUJICHAGULIA - Self-Determination; UJIMA - Collective Work and Responsibility; UJAMAA - Cooperative Economics; NIA - Purpose; KUUMBA - Creativity and IMANI - Faith.