Reclaiming Rites of Passage: Healing African American Youth through Cultural Traditions.

There are spaces in the wide cosmos where gravity is so intense that not even light can
escape. We refer to these locations as black holes. In a similar vein, there are moments
along life’s journey that are so transforming that they signal a point beyond which one
can go back. We refer to these moments as “rites of passage.” Ceremonies or rituals
known as rites of passage are performed to commemorate significant life transitions,
such as the passing from adolescence to adulthood. For ages, rites of passage have
been an essential and natural component of human communities. African rites of
passage were performed to ensure our traditions, values, ways of life, and how
manhood and womanhood would be defined. They guaranteed the successful
transformation and maturation into adulthood. It is up to us to create new, and
acceptable rites of passage for our communities because many of the old ones “formal
rites” were lost as a result of our enslavement and miseducation. African American
youth, face unique challenges due to the stripping of their culture and traditions. It is
vital to recognize the importance of African culture and tradition in correcting the
problems that African American youth face.

For African American youth, the lack of “formal rites of passage” can have far-reaching
effects. Identity problems, low self-esteem, cultural disconnect, diminished sense of
purpose and a feeling of hopelessness and alienation can all be symptoms of it. Our
young people can end up lost in a culture that doesn’t offer them the direction and
framework that formal rites of passage offers. African American communities have
historically experienced a loss of cultural traditions, which has had a long-lasting effect
on individual and group identity. The absence of these cultural traditions adds to a
person’s feeling of disconnection from society and their own value.

This is where The Sankofa Project comes to play its role in reclaiming Rites of Passage.
We believe restoring and honoring African cultural practices and traditions are an
instrumental component in response to this problem. This rebirth provides a potent way
to confront the problems African American youth experience. Young people can
rediscover their roots and forge a stronger sense of identity by reinstating these
customs and fostering a sense of cultural pride. The Sankofa Project is actively
engaged in preserving our cultural legacy, which we understand will renew feelings of
identity and self-determination. Looking ahead, we believe the answers are found in
programs that revive traditional rites of passage, promote social development and

character-building and have close ties to and with African culture. By reaching back to
move forward and reclaiming our traditions, The Sankofa Project will enable our young
people to deal with life’s changes with courage, resiliency, and a deep feeling of self-
worth. For every “Product” there is a “Process”. Rites of Passage (process) is the
antidote that will create “culturally competent youth” (product) and that will bring about
the changes needed in African American families and communities.