Sankofa LLC

  • Serves: First-Year Students
  • Location: Mills Hall 3rd floor, B side
  • Joint Class: AFST 174 - Thinking from the Margins
    • MWF: 8 - 9 a.m.
  • Requirements: 
    • Participation in monthly residence hall programs
    • Participation in events hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs (1 per month)
    • Enrollment in “Thinking from the Margins” course

For questions about this LLC, please contact Resharia Keller, Community Director for Mills Hall, at rkeller1@unca.edu.

Sankofa is an Akan term that means “to return, to go back and get it, to seek.” It is the idea that in our past we find the power and strength to create a brighter future. “Sankofa” affirms that our past gives us necessary context we must use to move forward.

The Sankofa LLC is a residential community for first-year students of color and others interested in racial justice, cross-cultural collaboration, and intercultural exchange. Please note: “students of color” is inclusive of, but not limited to: those who self-identify as Black, Indigenous/Native American, Latinx/Chicanx, Asian, or any combination of these. This phrase is also inclusive of the variety of ethnicities and cultures within those groups.

Through enrollment in AFST 174: Thinking From the Margins, students will be introduced to “subaltern studies,” or ways of thinking from and about those groups who have historically been marginalized, particularly the African diaspora (in the Americas and the Caribbean). Outside of the classroom, students will deepen their understanding through group participation in campus events, residence hall programming, and other multicultural activities & immersive experiences here in Asheville and afar.

While living in this community, students will:

  • Reflect on their individual identities and collective values
  • Examine their biases and assumptions related to other cultural groups
  • Discuss the ways power, privilege, and oppression impact different marginalized communities
  • Explore the concept of cultural humility and practice respectful cultural exchange

Sign up for SANKOFA

First-year students can sign up for the SANKOFA RLC when completing their housing application in OnePort.