What does it take to rebuild the lives we want to live? What knowledge do we need to have to create a new future for ourselves? The Essentials can provide a pathway for understanding.

 

Embracing Black Identity

What does it mean to be Black? Does it have any meaning at all? What does it mean, really, to be a person of African descent? What are the different ways we have named ourselves and defined ourselves? And how was the self-knowledge destroyed? How can we return to love, to embrace, our Black, African identity? This course will embark on a deep exploration of our fundamental humanity.

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The Essence of Black Love and Beauty

I firmly believe that one of the reasons so many of our romantic relationships are so challenging is because we are operating out of a cultural framework that is not our own. What does African culture have to say about how we love each other, and perhaps most importantly, how we love ourselves? Further, living in a space where our beauty is not acknowledged has done tremendous damage to our psyche. Getting to the root of these twin concepts can put us on the path of healing.

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Empowering Black Families

This course can be the most challenging, for our families can be the most loving and supportive, yet often, it is our families that can do us the most harm. How did things fall apart? Is family the only one you are born into? This course will examine traditional African family structures and the role of our ancestors in shaping our current path, and explore the multi-layered complexity of human interactions that make up family.​

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Educating Black Children

I hesitate to use the word "educate" when referring to our children because it implies a rigid and sterile indoctrination that takes place inside of a school building. But that is not traditional education in Africa. Africans educate the whole person - spiritually, culturally, and communally - preparing each young person to grow into their fullest potential. It is education that is fundamentally rooted in self-knowledge. This course will reveal some of the most important methods of cultivating our young people toward achieving their greatest potential.​​

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Elevating Black Communities

​What is community? It is more than just your neighbors, it is people who you bond with and work together collectively for the greater good - whether that be in the workplace, spiritual center, civic or community organization, and yes, even the people next door. How can African culture teach us how to form stronger relationships so that our communities grow stronger and more resilient?

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Exploring Divine Spirit

African people have had their spirituality belittled, degraded, and dismissed for hundreds of years. Yet it is the bedrock of African American religious traditions. We have been so disconnected from the spirituality of our ancestors, yet its remnants have given Black Americans the strength to endure some of life's most difficult challenges. Imagine what we could achieve if we knew more?​

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Ensuring a Better Future

African culture is not static, or stuck in the past, as so many seem to think. It is dynamic and forward thinking. The ancients left us the clues for how to navigate the future if we knew how to look and decipher the symbolic code. We will analyze the symbolic knowledge of classical African civilizations as we chart our way to a future that is greater than we could possibly imagine.

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  The first thing we have to do is change our minds.

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