Hardcover
Nine decades of wisdom: building institutions, community, and a just world.
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Sankofa

Reflections on Life, Learning, and Social Justice

RRP$63.98

$54.39

  • Hardcover

    200 pages

  • Release Date

    15 February 2027

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Summary

The memoir of one of the most accomplished figures in African American public life

Sankofa is the anthropologist and educator Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole’s memoir of nearly nine decades spent building institutions, communities, and a more just world. Drawing on her childhood in Jacksonville, Florida, and the historic Black community of American Beach, through her landmark presidencies of Spelman and Bennett Colleges, to her directorship of the Smithsonian Natio…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780813957005
ISBN-10:0813957001
Author:Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Tiffany Galvin Green, Maya Angelou
Publisher:University of Virginia Press
Imprint:University of Virginia Press
Format:Hardcover
Number of Pages:200
Release Date:15 February 2027
Dimensions:25mm x 127mm x 203mm
A-Format
B-Format
Sankofa by Johnnetta Betsch Cole - ISBN: 9780813957005
127 × 203 mm
C-Format
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

“Drawing from nine decades of life, marked by fullness, challenge, brilliance, and joy, Dr. Cole offers a masterclass in purposeful living. In these pages, she invites us to walk with her as she models what it means to learn continually, lead with compassion, and stay rooted in the values that guide us toward a more just and thriving future.” — From the foreword by Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D.

About The Author

Johnnetta Betsch Cole

Johnnetta Betsch Cole has an unparalleled distinction in higher education, having served as President of both Spelman College and Bennett College, the only two historically Black colleges for women in the United States. Her extensive leadership experience also includes serving as Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and as a Senior Consulting Fellow at the Mellon Foundation.

Beyond these roles, she has held the voluntary position of Chair of the Board and Seventh President of the National Council of Negro Women. Currently, she contributes as a Presidential Scholar of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

Dr. Cole is a prolific author, with several books and numerous articles to her name, addressing both scholarly and general audiences. Her notable works include:

  • Speechifying: The Words and Legacy of Johnnetta Betsch Cole (Duke University Press, 2023)
  • Racism in American Public Life: A Call to Action (UVA Press, 2021)
  • Gender Talk: The Struggle For Women’s Equality in African American Communities (co-authored with Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall; Random House, 2003)

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