LIVING LEGACY: TAPPING INTO THE HISTORY OF AGODJIE WOMEN WARRIORS TO EMPOWER YOUNG WOMEN OF COLOR IN NYC
Nurturing the holistic development of our youth with an eye toward collectivity and communality is vital for developing the future leaders we hope to see in our communities. The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute’s Sankofa Young Women’s Leadership Program aims to nurture our young Diasporic women to become the leaders they are destined to be.
On March 27, 2024, CCCADI’s third cohort of the SYWLP completed their experience. These young leaders underwent a curriculum, under the direction of lead facilitator Tamara Thomas, focused on learning from and honoring the Agodjie women warriors. Participants of Cohort III received several hands-on leadership-building workshops, listened to guest speakers, and participated in team-building activities using arts and culture to connect with the motherland, Africa. Each session sought to guide these high schoolers from around New York City toward the activation of their divinity, magic, intuition, voice, and power.
“My best memory of the program is the graduation because I got to see all of the beautiful presentations made by my peers and I got to applaud them for their hard work.” - SYWLP Cohort III Participant
As part of their final session, CCCADI held a graduation ceremony and welcomed Hip Hop ambassador Toni Blackman to deliver a keynote speech celebrating the work of our students and bestowing motivational words of wisdom from her own lived experience.
In her address, Blackman discussed not having access to people who looked like her when she was growing up, people who could speak to her about how to achieve her dreams. She shared that her passion for speaking to youth comes from wanting them to know that their dreams are not in the distance, floating in uncertainty, they are accessible through strategy and guidance.
The Sankofa Young Women’s Leadership Program is one of several offerings CCCADI provides to children and youth as part of its Youth Pathways initiative. Youth Pathways focuses on providing spaces and opportunities for Black and Brown youth to experience active community engagement and advocacy, cultural empowerment and enrichment, and a connection to a larger global movement. The next CCCADI Youth Pathways program, For The Culture: Harlem Ancestral Renaissance Project takes place over the summer and is accepting applications through May 24, 2024 from New York City high school students 14-18 years of age.
The Sankofa Young Women’s Leadership Program is made possible through funding from The Pinkerton Foundation, GrantMakers for Girls of Color, Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund and The Hearst Foundation.
