Sankofa African Diaspora

Start: Saturday, June 14, 2025 11:00AM
End: Saturday, June 14, 2025 5:00PM

Saturday, June 14 the Historic Cossitt Library will host the second annual Sankofa African Diaspora Festival. In recognition of Black Music Month and Juneteenth, this festival will celebrate the rich culture, lived experiences, and creative expressions of African-descended communities. The festival, running between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 33 S. Front Street, will have live music, dance performances, art displays, author readings, a local vendor marketplace, and food trucks. 2025 Lineup Music Artistiqly Xpressive BLACK CRÈME Ekpe Abioto and the African Jazz Ensemble Siju and Friends Dance QUEEN SIREN Drama Anansi the Spider by Hattiloo Theatre Live Rich Die Poor by Ann Perry Wallace Children’s Storytime by Tennessee Representative Justin Pearson Food Trucks StickEM Jus Enuff Concessions Last year’s event attracted an estimated 550 people while showcasing a total of 30 vendors and five musical acts. “Memphis wouldn’t be Memphis without the music, religion, and traditions the African diaspora brought with them. Our Sankofa festival highlights those contributions and celebrates where we’ve been and where we’re going,” said Brian Lyles, Senior Manager of the Cossitt Library. The Sankofa Festival is a celebration and remembrance of the past, while creating, a brighter informed future. The Historic Cossitt Library is a perfect spot for the festival since it was one of the first public spaces in Memphis to be desegregated thanks to the 1958 lawsuit brought by Jesse Turner and the LeMoyne and Owen student-led sit-ins of 1960. And as Shamichael Hallman notes in his novel “Meet Me at the Library,” the Cossitt Library has been renovated and reimagined as “a space centered on belonging,” a place to learn, connect, and share. Hallman served as Cossitt’s Senior Manager during its recent renovation and repurposing. Lyles added, “The Historic Cossitt Library aims to be the library of the future, while bringing its storied history to current and future generations.”