Gordon Parks High School: Sankofa

IMG_20200617_145050.jpg

Title

Gordon Parks High School: Sankofa

Coverage

1212 University Ave; Gordon Parks High School

Description

A mural at the entrance of Gordon Parks High School. This is a complex mural loaded with symbolism. It is best to describe this mural in 5 parts (4 corners and the center).

The upper left portion of the mural has "Sankofa" written out in multi colored letters, the sun's rays, and a blue bird with a red swirl and red feather mane looking back with an orb or egg near it's beak. The blue and red Sankofa bird in this mural has red hand prints on its neck.

The middle of the mural has a red heart symbol with a golden aura and red dotted lines emanating from it going to the four corners of the mural, also referencing Sankofa. There is also a yellow light/sun above the heart with a blue swirl in the center. The light radiates yellow tendrils to both the left and right portions of the mural. It is possible this sun with the swirl is the Adinka symbol Owia Kokroko--or greatness of the sun (vitality and strength).

The upper right portion of the mural is a collage of newspaper clippings pertaining to George Floyd, activism, street art, and protests.

The bottom right portion of the mural is another Sankofa bird.

Source

Note from contributor: "Sankofa" is a twi language word (Ghana) that means "go back and get it". It is a symbol that is represented by a bird with its head turned backwards taking an egg from it's back. It is a metaphor for looking to the past for knowledge and bringing that knowledge to the present in order to make positive change or progress."

Rights

Outside Contributor

Publisher

Urban Art Mapping Research Project

Date

Contributor

HS

Identifier

UAM-GF_0456

Spatial Coverage

Saint Paul

Relation

MN

Extent

United States

Geolocation

Comments

Allowed tags: <p>, <a>, <em>, <strong>, <ul>, <ol>, <li>