Black History Month Celebration: SANKOFA DAYS @ The BAY February 22-23, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39 will celebrate Black History Month on February 22-23, 2019 in partnership with Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Foundation and the San Francisco Chapter of Links, Inc., to ensure that the events are engaging, educational, inclusive, and celebratory of the richness of the African Diaspora. SANKOFA DAYS @ The BAY will feature a wonderful blend of events, music and activities focused on climate change, environmental justice, and sustainability that will appeal to children, millennials, seniors, and everyone in-between.

SANKOFA DAYS @ The BAY will explore the environmental movement and celebrate notable African American heroes and leaders in the environmental space. The recognition of environmental justice and sustainability has been deeply embedded within the nation's underserved communities and its communities of color. It is at once a moral stance that brings to the fore a fundamental necessity to care for others with whom, and the environment within which, we live with a sacred trust.

"Our partnership and SANKOFA DAYS @ The BAY establish our shared commitment to the principles that stand at the core of this movement for environmental justice and sustainability embodied in the words of Dr. King, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly' ⁱ ," says Executive Director of The NorCalMLK Foundation, Aaron Grizzell.

"In our griot tradition, we seek to construct a new narrative that will resound, and raise mindfulness and collective consciousness of our environmental legacy... a respect, care, and love for our mother Earth; as well as, awaken and ignite our youth to take up the banner for environmental justice and climate change action to secure the future for coming generations," says Angelique Tompkins, Board Member of Bay Ecotarium leading the Black History Month at Aquarium of the Bay. According to George Jacob, President & CEO of Bay Ecotarium, "This is the first time in over two decades that the Aquarium is celebrating Black History Month on such a scale. Our staff is excited and working hard behind the scenes to welcome 500 youth!"

"How fitting is the intentional festive name of 'Sankofa' for sharing the important roles African Americans have played in having pushed the boundaries of learning and exploration! Sankofa, a mythical bird, symbolizes the past serving as a guide for planning the future, while recognizing the past must never be forgotten," says President of The San Francisco Chapter of The Links, Inc., Valata Jenkins-Monroe, PhD.

For more information on FREE and ticketed events, visit: www.aquariumofthebay.org

ⁱ  Clayborne Carson ed., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (New York City: Grand Central Publishing, 1998), 188. To learn more about the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, see Carson, Autobiography, 170-217.

Friday, 02/22/2019 - 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
SANKOFA Connections: Wine Reception and Book Signing with author, Carl Anthony
Location: Aquarium of the Bay, PIER 39 - Farallon Room

Carl Anthony will present, "The Earth, the City, and the Hidden Narrative of Race" with Paloma Pavel, PhD, and co-founder of Breakthrough Communities Project. The 2019 SANKOFA Sustainability Award will be given to honoree and speaker Carl Anthony. Adults only.

Saturday, 02/23/2019 - 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
SANKOFA Youth & Family Day
Location: Aquarium of the Bay, PIER 39

Includes culturally relevant youth activities at arts and crafts stations. Other organizations will also be in the Aquarium with additional learning station activities. Youth 17 and under, and families welcome.

Bay.Org/ Bay Ecotarium
Our mission is enabling conversations on climate resilience and ocean conservation globally, while inspiring actionable change locally by protection and preservation of the San Francisco Bay and its ecosystems, from Sierra to the Seatm.

Aquarium of the Bay
Sea Lion Center
The Bay Institute
The Bay Academy
Eco Center at Heron's Head Park
The Bay Model Alliance

NorCalMLK Foundation
The Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3), charitable organization dedicated to extending Dr. King's vision by fostering a new paradigm that unlocks the promise in every person through ongoing, targeted initiatives throughout the San Francisco bay area and the northern California region. NorCalMLK impacts thousands of lives annually through its three initiatives: Healthy Communities - promoting health, wellness, sustainability and preparedness in and among underserved communities; Learning Communities - increasing the joy of learning through the literary, visual and media arts; and Celebrating Communities - bringing the northern California community together to celebrate and honor the legacy of Dr. King. www.norcalmlkfoundation.org  

The Links, Incorporated
The Links, Incorporated is an international organization of over 12,000 professional women of color who are committed to purposeful service. Links members are role models, mentors, activists and volunteers dedicated to active service in our communities. www.linksinc.org

The San Francisco Chapter of The Links, Incorporated are linked in friendship and connected in service, committed to enriching its members and improving the lives of African-Americans, those of the African Diaspora, and the underserved in the San Francisco Community; with an emphasis on its youth, through dynamic and transformative cultural, civic, educational and health-related community programs. www.sanfranciscolinksinc.org

Media Contact: Vicki DeWitt
[email protected] 
(415) 262-4727

SOURCE Bay Ecotarium