Sankofa Impact

Sankofa Impact and Collective Justice recently visited the The Twin Rivers Unit at Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC) in Monroe, WA to conduct a Pilgrimage-in-Place workshop for 12 incarcerated participants.

We are proud to partner with Collective Justice, a restorative justice organization brought together by survivors and the imprisoned community members in Washington state. Collective Justice works toward cultural and systemic transformation that centers the dignity and resilience of all people impacted by mass imprisonment and violence. Over the last year Collective Justice has conducted a HEAL circle with the 12 incarcerated participants whom we met.

In 2016 Sankofa Impact’s Nathan Bean took a course with University Beyond Bars (UBB), at the Monroe Correctional Complex. That same year he experienced his first Pilgrimage to the South with Sankofa Impact. This was a profoundly moving experience for Nathan. While taking the UBB course he was in a learning community with an incarcerated UBB student named Devon Adams. In the years since 2016, Devon gained his freedom and began working with Collective Justice. Reconnecting in 2023, the pair found themselves in the same prison a decade later.

Sankofa Impact created the Pilgrimage in Place workshops during the pandemic, at a time when folks were stuck in their homes. Today, Pilgrimage in Place workshops are available in-person to companies, schools, organizations and other partnerships.

At the Twin Rivers Unit, the workshops were delivered to a group of participants who have had their freedom of movement taken away. This meant that for a couple hours, we were able to offer an immersive session that brought this powerful group of learners to the places where history happened.The workshop was powerful. It worked so well in this environment that it felt like Pilgrimage in Place workshops were intended for this community.

Thank you to Collective Justice, Devon, Dolphy, Felicia, Nathan, and the members of the HEAL circle for an unforgettable workshop.

It has been one year since Sankofa Impact embarked on a month-long pilgrimage with the UW Honors Program aboard the bus students affectionately named the “Sankofaship.” The Honors: American South journey traced the legacies of enslavement, racial terror, the Civil Rights Movement, mass incarceration, and contemporary abolition activism across eight Southern states.

We began in Galveston for Juneteenth and ended in Washington, D.C. a month later. Along the way, we experienced every emotion, endured sweltering heat, and shared what many described as a life-changing experience.

This July 4th, we welcomed the group back to the Sankofa Impact office for a Sankofaship reunion. Together, we reflected on the impact of the trip and heard powerful updates about where participants are today. All agreed: the journey was transformative—and it continues to shape their lives both inside and outside the classroom.

We could not be more proud.