On this episode of Church on the Block, we talk with Bishop Lance Davis and LaNiece Thomas Flagg of SankofaUS.com, specialist in group travel to Ghana, West Africa.  We discuss the cultural impact of Hip Hop, the miseducation of White evangelical missionaries and healing the generational wounds of the transatlantic slave trade. 

What is Sankofa?

Sankofa, the Twi language of Ghana, means to go back, retrieve and get.  It’s not taboo to go back and get what you forgot.  Or didn’t learn.  And that’s what Bishop Lance Davis 20 years ago. 

“I took that Sankofa journey to Ghana, West Africa, to Senegal, and to Gambia, just to discover who I am as a black man.  I thought I knew myself and I thought I was going to where my ancestors came from.  But it ended up being so much more.”  

What inspired the work?

Bishop Davis says the plight of the community is what led him to his work.  Growing up on the west side of Chicago, many of his friends were dead or in jail by the time Lance was 16 years old.  One of his friends turned to hip hop.  “It was a message that told us don’t do what the streets are telling us to do.  Don’t get involved in things the world is telling us to do.  These were messages that were hijacked by big businesses that turned us towards what we eventually became.” 

Bishop Davis says the answer to many of the ills that our community is facing is for people of African decent is to learn about our culture and history beyond the slave narrative.  “If we use music to reintroduce us to where we came from, if we were taught more about ourselves, most of the social issues that we are confronted with today, we just would not have.”

Sankofa US

LaNiece Thomas Flagg, who works alongside Bishop Davis reveals what inspired her to join the Sankofa movement.  “When he [Bishop Davis] would come back from Africa there was always something different about him.  He was more insightful, more intuitive and really intriguing.”  And she wanted to experience that, so she encouraged Bishop Davis to let her tagalong on a trip. 

After that first experience, LaNiece says it became a ministry.  “Going there, you’re not looking for yourself, but you find so many things about you that you didn’t know.  It helps you determine who you want to be.”

Sanfoka US is not your ordinary travel agency.  They specialize in providing an experience of self-discovery and healing.  “We need you to understand why you’re going.  You have to go so that you can have a better understanding of who you are when you come back.  It’s traveling with an intention, with a purpose.  That’s what makes it different than a vacation,” says LaNiece. 

To learn more about the agency and/or inquire about making the pilgrimage to Ghana West Africa visit www.sankofaus.com and remember to tune in Sundays at 10 am est. | 9 am cst. To Church on the Block on Holy Culture Radio Sirius XM Channel 154.  Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.  And follow the show on Instagram to join the discussion.  Please leave a comment and let us know what you thought of the episode.  We want to hear from you.

Building Our Own Community, Inc. (B.O.O.C.)
is a non-for-profit, 501c3 organization established in 1999 by Lance Davis with the mission of restoring and strengthening the African-American community, primarily through targeting high-risk adolescents and young adults. Today, the mission of BOOC is to provide programs and activities that develop youth, enhance education, foster economic development and address health issues in underserved communities. The B.O.O.C. office is located in downtown Dolton, IL and has programs that service many areas of the south suburban community with a growing incidence of poverty, unemployment, minimal education and crime.

Our Goals

To Build Our Youth

To Build Our Families

To Build Our Community

Over the years B.O.O.C. has developed into a reputable organization. After establishing our food pantry, soup kitchen, and youth programs we are teaming up with other local organization to establish a solid, resourceful health initiative that will educate the south suburban community about disease prevention and treatment and overall health and wellness.