Sankofa: Denver, CO

There's a West African symbol of a bird flying forward and looking over its back at an egg. The bird is typically referred to as the Sankofa Bird and the meaning of its symbolism is that "we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward (www.duboislc.net)." As I head west, stopping at several domestic stops, Sankofa has become a reoccurring theme. You truly never know how blessed you are until you look back at all the people who've sewn seeds into your life and see how they've helped make you the person you are today.

We've been friends since I was 12.

When I tell people "I'm going back home," I'm almost always referring to Colorado. So, as much as I'd like to tell you about the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, I'll refrain. For me, coming home is always about reconnecting and grounding myself and this week I did just that!



Friends with growing families.

I've spent the last week having drinks and laughing with people I went to middle school, high school, and undergrad with. I've sat in bliss and re-lived stories about the "old days". "Remember that time we bought matching hammer pants and went to the MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice Concert!?" or "Remember that time you burned my hair off with that curling iron?!" I've also enjoyed hearing about where life has taken them, holding their children, and meeting their spouses. "Wow, look how far we've come!" or "Wow, look how much weight we've gained," are common comments.



My college roomate!

Every part of Colorado is tied to memories I have of growing up. When I look at the snowcapped Rocky Mountains in the west, I think about my first trip skiing in Vail and how I got altitude sickness and threw up on some poor woman in the ski rental shop. When I see the Colorado School of Mines "M" on the side of Lookout Mountain, I think about being a freshman in college and having to carry a 5 lb. rock up there as a part of freshman initiation. And when I drive through Denver's bustling downtown with its nightclubs and ridiculous amount of marijuana dispensaries, I think about trying to sneak into nightclubs as a pre-teen or going to spoken word events at Brother Jeff's while in college.

The Smith sisters from high school!

Interestingly enough, when my parent's first told my brother and me that we were moving to Colorado, we cried and whined for weeks. I swore that I would have to wear cowboy boots and hats to school and that we would be the only black people in the state. It didn't help that on the first visit here, the car slid on black ice and careened off the road into a snow bank; but they went looking for a better life. Thankfully, within weeks we made new friends and began to enjoy our new environment. Now, I couldn't imagine growing up anywhere else.

My BFF since college!

Colorado is where I learned to drive, where I got married, where I had my first job and started my first business, and where I call home. It is where I learned about the beauty of diversity and came to understand that listening to Metallica alongside Tupac didn't make me any less "black." It's where my neighbor taught me how to peel and roast chillies for authentic Mexican dishes and where my Imo taught me to make Korean kimchi. It's where I learned to dream, learned to explore and dare to do something different.

Now that I'm moving forward in my journey, I'm thankful for the past and recognize how each person and each lesson has contributed to my present and future. Just don't tell my parents! I don't want them to know that they were right.

Thank you, Colorado.