History is messy! This week’s curated articles highlight a few of the many contradictions we find as we explore the past. A food-based business that offers a path to supporting oneself can also expose the seller to recapture by bounty hunters. An African kingdom can be found to have resisted - and participated in - the slave trade. A newly freed woman acts boldly to protect the property of her former enslaver.

CONTRADICTIONS

Appolonia: the story of an African kingdom that resisted the Atlantic slave trade | The Conversation, June 2026

We the people: At Stenton, Dinah’s story reveals the contradictions of liberty and slavery in Revolutionary Philadelphia | WHYY, June 2026

Pepper pot stew was survival food for the poor and a path to freedom for Black women in early Philadelphia | The Conversation, June 2026

Upcoming Events

Special Juneteenth Screening: "What Would Martin Say?" and Inaugural DEI Community Leadership Prize Presentation

Join The Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project and partners for this FREE, family-friendly, and informative event that extends our celebration of America's Semiquincentennial.

Juneteenth & Black Heritage Collection

America’s National Parks™ stores invite park lovers of all ages and backgrounds to enhance and share their national park visits. Because everyone connects to parks differently, the items we carry and the services we provide offer a variety of ways to extend your experience- whether you shop with us in person or online. 100% of the proceeds from your purchase go directly to supporting education and preservation programs at America’s national parks.

Does your organization have an upcoming event that aligns with the Sankofa Collaborative’s mission? Send the registration page link and the image you would like used to sstephens1622@gmail.com at least 10 days prior to the event and we will include it in our Weekly Resource.

Additional opportunities to engage with history can be found on the New Jersey Historical Commission's New Jersey Black History Events List.

Support the Sankofa Collaborative!

We hope that our workshops and e-newsletter have strengthened and inspired you to learn more about, present, and discuss the complex and difficult issues in the history and current experiences of African American citizens of New Jersey and of the United States.

Please consider making a donation to help the Collaborative continue its work. You can make a gift using the link below or you can mail your contribution to the Sankofa Collaborative, P.O. Box 77234, Trenton, NJ 08628. Thank you for your support!

Click here to support the Sankofa Collaborative today!

For more articles, guides and other materials, visit the Sankofa Collaborative's Program Archives and Resources page.

Join Our Mailing List!

The Sankofa Collaborative helps people learn about, understand, and discuss African American history in schools, museums, libraries, civic groups, and other settings.

The Collaborative is the work of four New Jersey organizations - 1804 Consultants, The New Jersey Historical Society, Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, and the William Trent House Museum. Our programs and website are made possible through generous grants from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, the New Jersey Historical Commission, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Patient First.

Sankofa, a word from the Twi language of Ghana, translates to "go back and get it." It is often depicted by a bird with its body facing forward and its head turned back, holding a precious egg. This and other Sankofa symbols remind us of the importance of learning from the past.

Share This Email