Cultural Reconnection Mission

Since March 2002, Marcia Tate-Arunga has taken a delegation of African-American women on a Cultural Reconnection Mission to her adopted homeland of Kenya.These delegations form the African American Kenyan Women's Interconnect (AAKEWO). The organization’s goal is to provide an opportunity for African American women to experience cultural reconnection – the reestablishment of relationship with people of shared ancestry and the original homeland.The design of the mission centers on four features of cultural reconnection and reclamation: • Cultural and gender specificity • Collective action • African-centered rituals and cultural acknowledgments • Ongoing shared dialogueCome and hear the stories, see pictures, learn about cultural reconnection and its importance in healing cellular memory and hear about the AAKEWO projects.LueRachelle Brim-Atkins, former director of Training and Development at the University and a member of the 2003 AAKEWO delegation will lead this discussion of the cultural reconnection mission.