Title
Recognizing and honoring Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School on celebrating its 10th Anniversary.
Body
WHEREAS, Sankofa Freedom Academy is a college preparatory K-12 freedom school which was founded in Frankford and later moved to Kensington was built on the Philadelphia Freedom Schools model to increase literacy and numeracy levels throughout the community, promote respect for scholarship, servant leadership, conflict resolution, and cultural democracy; and
WHEREAS, Through the use of African Centered and culturally responsive methodologies, Sankofa Freedom Academy will engender in its students, staff, and community a love for learning, pride in heritage and a commitment to personal and societal transformation. By operationalizing the adage, “each one / teach one”, Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School will build intergenerational learning communities in which each and every person is responsible to learn in order to teach and teach in order to build a better world; and
WHEREAS, Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School led by Dr. Ayesha Imani as the acting CEO and Founder, was founded in 2009 on life-affirming principles that are designed to build and maintain a peaceful productive community where everyone is valued and everyone is expected to contribute something valuable to the collective. Thus, the members of the Sankofa community affirm that the freedom they seek is the freedom to be their best selves, so that they can build strong relationships, healthy families, and a peaceful world characterized by justice and harmony; and
WHEREAS, The term Sankofa is an Akan expression that is translated “Reach back to move forward”. Sankofa Freedom Academy (SFA) believes children of African descent and other scholars of color have absolutely everything they need to achieve academically and live lives as fully actualized human beings who are able to build and maintain healthy communities and establish a just world; and
WHEREAS, Academically applying the principle of Sankofa means SFA will not accept failure or mediocrity”. Remembering always the legacy of the great ones on whose shoulders we stand, scholars, staff, and cultural workers will be reminded to “reach within and back” in order to reconnect with the sources of knowledge and power that will insure academic success and enable scholars to contribute to the communities to which they belong. Thus, Sankofa Freedom Academy will use the history, cultural expressions, aesthetics, literature, orature, value systems, and worldview of African and indigeneous diasporan cultures to forge a reconnection between excellence in scholarship, identity, and purpose; and
WHEREAS, On Saturday, October 5th, 2019 from 6:00- 10:00 P.M. Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School will celebrate its 10th Anniversary Gala at First District Plaza in recognition and celebration of a decade of achievements; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the City Council of Philadelphia, Hereby recognizes and honors Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School on Celebrating its 10th Anniversary!
Further Resolved, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Sankofa Freedom Academy Charger School and extend the sincere respect and admiration of this legislative body.
End