This book is dedicated to the many achievements and sacrifices that our ancestors made to enable me to grow up in this society at this time to recognize and reflect my purpose through this book. Your wisdom and souls are heavy on my heart and I am forever in debt to all of you…PEACE!!!

Ron Spears

Copyright© 2015 by Ron Spears (www.RonSpearsPoetry.com)

SANKOFA…a Rites of Passage Memoir.................................................................................................................................... 4 How to Develop an Effective Rites of Passage Program ....................................................................................................... 15 Critical Elements of Rites of Passage ................................................................................................................................ 17 Organization Structure - Rites of Passage Program Roles & Responsibilities ................................................................... 19 Program Implementation – Curriculum ............................................................................................................................ 24 Implementation - Program Costs ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Sankofa Leadership Model Rites of Passage Curriculum ...................................................................................................... 34 Components within the Sankofa Leadership Model Curriculum ...................................................................................... 36 Poem: The Number Seven – Perfection & Purpose .............................................................................................. 38 Rites of Passage: Self-Knowledge ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Poem: My Five Trips to Goree Island ..................................................................................................................... 43 Poem: Message to the Original Man....................................................................................................................... 44 Poem: Message to the Original Woman ................................................................................................................. 45 Rites of Passage: Spirituality ............................................................................................................................................. 48 Poem: Your Body is Your Temple........................................................................................................................... 49 Poem: The Power of Your Mind............................................................................................................................... 50 Rites of Passage: Overcoming Obstacles .......................................................................................................................... 53 Rites of Passage: Self-Improvement ................................................................................................................................. 59 Poem: RISE UP (Empowerment for African-American Women)........................................................................ 62 Poem: MAN UP (Empowerment for African-American Men) ............................................................................ 64 Rites of Passage: Leadership ............................................................................................................................................. 70 The Keys to Life: Overview .................................................................................................................................................... 74 The Keys to Life: Parents ................................................................................................................................................... 75 The Keys to Life: Belief System ......................................................................................................................................... 80 The Keys to Life: Education ............................................................................................................................................... 85 The Keys to Life: Hobbies .................................................................................................................................................. 90 The Keys to Life: Sex / Drugs / Violence / Peer Group ...................................................................................................... 93 The Keys to Life: Career .................................................................................................................................................. 104 The Keys to Life: Marriage .............................................................................................................................................. 125 The Keys to Life: Children................................................................................................................................................ 133 The Keys to Life: Health .................................................................................................................................................. 142 The Keys to Life: Money / Lifestyle / Life Purpose .......................................................................................................... 151 Poetry – The Importance of Work / Life Balance ................................................................................................................ 159 About the Author

174

SANKOFA…a Rites of Passage Memoir

I’m going to take you on a journey of African Rites of Passage including my privilege of sharing in this experience with boys and girls from my hometown of Detroit as they go to Africa for this manhood and womanhood training ritual on several different occasions.

The plight of African-Americans is full of triumph and tragedy in the past as well as the present. Sankofa, the title of this presentation and my Rites of Passage curriculum, is an Akan word which means to return to the past in order to go forward. As Malcolm once said, “Armed with a knowledge of our past, we can with confidence, charter a course for our future.” We must embrace our past in order to understand our legacy and purpose in the world. This is necessary for our transformation to occur and secure a powerful and purpose-filled future for ourselves and our children. Community Service is one of life’s greatest hidden treasures and I had the pleasure of serving as the Chief Teacher for an African Rites of Passage academy for boys in Detroit for five years. My wife served as the director of the program for girls. Each year the Academy would send boys and girls to Africa to experience a traditional “bush” manhood/ womanhood training ritual alongside boys and girls from the village. The evidence of our ancestors’ presence in my life is overwhelming in each and every poem written in this book. They, and not me, are the true inspiration and should get the credit if you read or hear something in this presentation that touches your soul in a special way.

Introduction to My Rites of Passage Memoir In traditional African culture, there are 4 major stages in everyone's life: Birth, Rites-of-Passage, Marriage and Death. As African-Americans, both family and community gather together to celebrate the birth of a child, attend wedding ceremonies and funerals to show love, support and recognition of these significant stages of life. The missing element in African-American culture is the formal and structured ritual celebrating each child's passage into manhood and womanhood. This very significant stage prepares young boys and girls for the responsibilities and challenges they will face as adults culminated by a formal celebration sponsored by the family and community. The African-American Community & Church plays a key role in the three rituals performed within our culture. A vast majority of Christenings to celebrate the birth of a child, wedding ceremonies to consecrate marriages and funerals to celebrate one's transition occur in churches throughout the nation. It is vital the every African-American Parent, Community & Church incorporate the missing element of Rites-of-Passage programs. Without these programs, the streets are the alternative to provide such preparation and guidance to manhood/ womanhood. There has been some effort by African-Americans to embrace African culture. The principles of Kwanzaa provide a very holistic approach to strengthening family and community relationships. Many African-centered organizations incorporate the moral principles of Maat (Truth, Justice, Righteousness, Reciprocity, Harmony, Balance and Order) taken from the sacred texts of Ancient Egypt into their mission statements. These expressions of African culture, and others, must compliment an effective Rites-ofPassage program to reclaim this stage in the development of African-American youth. So why do we need Rites of Passage programs? The current issues facing our youth (and many adults) are extensive and stopping our progress. Rites of Passage programs are intended to build leadership skills and behaviors.

In summary, Rites of Passage: Marks significant stages in youth’s development to manhood / womanhood  Used by our ancestors to show that a youth has moved from one stage of development to the next  Builds self-esteem and self-worth  Develops & maintains family, community and spiritual balance  Not limited to youths (adults can also benefit from such a personally transforming experience) Through this memoir, I will share with you my own rise to consciousness that led me to be a part of a Rites of Passage program and share the impact we’ve had on boys and girls focusing on our experiences in Africa. 

My Journey to Self-Knowledge

Growing up in Detroit, I remember every February we would celebrate Black History Month. We would receive our annual reminded of the bold stance that Rosa Parks took by not giving up her seat in Alabama and Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. I also remember learning about famous Black inventors such as Garret Morgan’s traffic signal and Lewis Latimer’s breakthrough with Edison’s electric light bulb. I have vague memories of famous Black poets such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Nikki Giovanni, but don’t remember any memorable discussions about African history or the impact of Slavery. My intent is not to discredit what I learned on this topic in Detroit Public Schools, but simply to recall what memories I have from my K-12 experience. The only memory I have during that time about African history came from a very ironic source – Budweiser’s ad campaign called “The Great Kings of Africa”. I remember going to the neighborhood corner store to buy candy or play video games and would see these posters showing Black people in Africa looking like royalty. It wasn’t until I attended the historic Morehouse College that I would have a more formal introduction to Black History from the African origins of humanity to the trans-Atlantic slave trade to current day struggles. I was able to walk the same grounds and learn at the same institution that produced a Martin Luther King and his distinguished mentor Benjamin Elijah Mays. The legacy of Morehouse men both past and present is that of a Renaissance man with a social conscience. To help plant these seeds of leadership and community service, students would meet each week at the MLK chapel to hear speakers from various walks of life share their wisdom with us. During my years at Morehouse, I remember such speakers as Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Jeremiah Wright and the owner of Rich’s Department Store in Atlanta who shared with us his heritage beginning in Ellis Island and how that

self-knowledge empowered his drive to overcome humble beginnings to be successful and give back. While at Morehouse, I remember all the late night debates with some of the brightest minds in our nation. It was truly an experience that I will never forget. I studied and graduated with honors with a degree in Physics and a deeper appreciation for Black History and Community Service. What I learned in the classroom at Morehouse prepared me academically and professionally for wherever I chose to pursue in life, but it was what I learned outside the classroom that really planted the seeds for my dedication for African Rites of Passage. My education outside the classroom was just as impactful as what I learned inside the classroom. My quest for self-knowledge led me to attend a series of lectures that literally changed my life.

The first time I heard Dr. Ben (Yosef Ben-Jochanon), was at the Morehouse chapel and Ashra Kwesi presented his slideshow on the African Origins of Civilization. Dr. Ben followed with a lecture that highlighted the African Origin of Humanity and the Major Western Religions with an emphasis on Egyptian History. I was blessed to attend several other lectures whenever he came to Atlanta over the next few years to further expand my knowledge about Egypt. Dr. John Henrik Clarke was a giant among our scholars and historians who has written the introductions to so many books about African and African-American history. I attended several lectures by Dr. Clarke and learned so much about Africa, Black Nationalism, the slave trade and the Civil Rights Movement including his personal account of meeting with Malcolm X right after his trip to Mecca. Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, through her book “The Isis Papers” expanded my perspective on the Psychiatry behind racism as a means of genetic survival. Her lecture caused me to look deeper at how racism plays out in economics, education, entertainment, labor, law, politics, religion, sex and war. This insight also caused me to study the work of Dr. Wade Nobles. Dr. Leonard Jeffries was at the forefront in trying to get this perspective of African history into the educational system through a movement called Afrocentrism. There were two key elements with this movement – adding truth to current history books and leveraging a strong knowledge of self to empower Black youth to achieve greatness. This movement was considered very controversial and Dr. Jeffries often wore a bullet-proof vest whenever he gave his lectures. Bishop George A. Stallings’ visit to the Morehouse chapel one Saturday evening was a night I will never forget. We were there until the wee hours of the morning totally captivated by his powerful insight on African Spirituality, empowerment and community

service. I also remember calling my parents the next day to tell them about the lecture and reminding them how my decision to attend this fine institution was nothing short of life changing for me. My parents were extremely proud that I chose to attend Morehouse. Anyone who has had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Na’im Akbar speak understands that words cannot describe the intelligence and articulation of this professor. His assessment of the psychological impact of slavery and how it still affects us to the present day is compelling. Whenever I came from a lecture from Dr. Akbar, my only objective once my head stopped spinning was to hibernate somewhere and read. Reading is exactly what I dedicated myself to doing after this powerful series of lectures. I bought every book I could afford on the subjects of History, Spirituality, Slavery and Consciousness from the perspective of understanding racism and self improvement. I was blessed to receive a full scholarship throughout college and graduate school which included very lucrative monthly stipends during the school year and internships during the summers. This financial blessing is what enabled me to acquire an impressive library during those years. It was only natural for me to purchase Dr. Ben’s books to expand my knowledge of Egyptian history and the African origins and influence on the major western religions of the world. I became particularly fond of the writings of Tony Browder because he was able to analyze and educate about African history and consciousness in “layman’s” terms. Haki Madhubuti, like Browder, was more of a writer than a researcher which made his books easier to understand and relate to. I even started to purchase books written by white researchers who were often referenced by my favorite lecturers. It became apparent that a lot of this knowledge of African history was more understood by learned individuals than I thought. There could be only two possible reasons why this knowledge was not accurately reflected in mainstream history books – either to perpetuate the empowerment of the masses (conquerors) or suppress the empowerment of people of color (conquered) desperately in need of uplifting information and images to transform their existence. Anacalypsis, Ancient Egypt they Light of the World and A Book of the Beginnings were highly referenced books that I had to have in my collection.

The more I read, the more I wanted to find a way to spread this knowledge to others. It wasn’t until recently – almost twenty years after my college years – that my gift of poetry and spoken word would define my purpose in life. The depth of my words and thoughts can be attributed to life experiences and reading such insightful books as the works of Chancellor Williams, Walter Rodney, John Jackson, Dr. Ben and John Henrik Clarke.

I read the works of Dr. Ivan Van Sertima focusing on the African presence in Early Asia, Europe, Spain (Golden Age of the Moor), Egypt and Ancient America (They Came Before Columbus). Dr. Van Sertima’s series were “must have” reference materials in my library to better understand the role that Africa and African people played in shaping every corner of the world. Since Dr. Van Sertima recently passed away, the legacy he has left behind through his volumes of books has renewed my purpose to spread this self knowledge through my gift of poetry. As my knowledge grew in African history, so did my lens in looking at mainstream media and how this was being viewed. I will never forget a 1988 Newsweek article that came out about the African origins of humanity. Just as scientists were conceding the fact that humanity started in Africa and the first Africans were Black people, they decided to leverage this as an opportunity to show a Black Adam & Eve wearing Jeri Curls. Similar to Newsweek’s exploration into the African origins of humanity, the next controversial topic was Egypt and whether it was the cradle of civilization and if the ancient Egyptians were Black. This 1991 Newsweek cover story brought the Afrocentrism movement to mainstream America under the subtitle – Fact or Fantasies. Almost twenty years later, not only is the topic no longer mainstream but the history books haven’t changed much if at all. Once I began to read about the African influence on practically all the nations of the world including how they worship, naturally I began to question what I learned not only in the public school system but also in church. I began to purchase and read books on various expressions of faith. This quest led me to look deeper into the various organizations (religious and secret societies) to better understand what they had to gain by hiding the truth about their African roots. In the end, I decided to focus my research and poetry on living a more spiritual life similar to what was taught in the Egyptian Mystery Schools. It didn’t take long for me to realize that there were powerful forces in our society aimed at controlling what gets taught in two of the most influential institutions in any society – school and church. I began to read more about the institution of slavery and wanted to better understand what Black people endured for 400 years. I knew that this institution had to be powerful enough to sustain well into the present day – with the chains removed from our hands and feet and placed firmly around our minds. I dedicated much of my gift of poetry to rid ourselves of mental slavery. I bought and read books about powerful men and women who made a difference in our society. There was much to learn about their successes and failures and incorporate into my approach to poetry. The more I read about such people, the more I understood how the Creator put people on this Earth for a specific purpose to spark change in our society and the world. With forces so powerful and integrated into the

very fabric of our society, I was convinced that it would take a higher power to enlighten a people with so much stacked against them. I bought and read books that exposed such forces aimed at understand and exposing methods and plots to control and deceive the masses in our society. I also bought and read books that connected people to the same higher power that our ancestors used elevate their level of consciousness. Once again, my poetry is dedicated to increasing the awareness and use of this higher power. Since I had a degree in Physics, I was especially interested in books that focused on our ability to access Spiritual qualities internally to heal our bodies and achieve unlimited greatness. From Knowledge to Service

I am a firm believer that having all this knowledge and doing nothing with is a waste. For me, the seeds for community service were firmly planted during my years at Morehouse and continued during my time in graduate school. Once I graduated and returned home to Detroit, my only challenge was to determine which organization I was going to align myself with to give back to the community. Making the transition from the academic world to the corporate world provided a convenient distraction or excuse to let several months go by without selecting an appropriate service-oriented organization. That decision quickly got accelerated in October of 1995 when I made the decision to attend the Million Man March with one of my buddies from Morehouse. This memorable event was the spark I needed to leverage the knowledge I’ve gained to make a difference. During the drive from Detroit to Washington, D.C. when we stopped at rest areas along the highway, we would run into brothers also making the trip. Immediately, complete strangers would embrace as brothers. It reminded me of freshman year at Morehouse. The line-up of speakers was as memorable as the event itself. The presence of Dr. Betty Shabazz, the widow of Malcolm X, demonstrated a great sense of unity and purpose for this gathering of men to make a change in their lives. Jesse Jackson has always been a great orator and his presence, along with Stevie Wonder and Maya Angelou, also demonstrated unity and purpose. And when that young brother began to speak, it simply brought tears to my eyes. This event sparked my dedication to service in Detroit. Once I returned home from the Million Man March, I felt a sense of urgency to find a way to give back in a way consistent with the self-knowledge I had gained. I grew up at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church which has a history of community service in Detroit beginning with the late Rev. Charles Hill and continuing the legacy through the dynamic Pastor Charles G. Adams who baptized me and whose sermons I listened to throughout my childhood. I was very active as a youth in Hartford serving as the president of the

young adult choir, the drama group, boy scouts and NAACP youth council. When I graduated from high school, I was voted the most active youth by Hartford’s youth minister and Morehouse was a logical choice as Pastor Adams is a member of the board of trustees. After being away for six years at Morehouse and graduate school, I decided to continue my service at the church that gave me such a strong foundation. That would end up being a true blessing as an African Rites of Passage program was being designed there. One day, my father asked me to accompany him to the retirement party of one of his fraternity brothers, Dr. Manuel Pierson who served his career making a difference at one of the local Universities. Listening to Dr. Pierson summarize the programs he started at the University and the number of students he mentored throughout his career gave me some perspective about what I would like to accomplish and people to say about me at the end of my career. But what came next really intrigued me. He began to speak about what he was going to do next. He mentioned that he will be focusing his efforts on community service in Africa spending 6 months out of each year in Africa and the other 6 months in Detroit. Part of those plans included starting an African Rites of Passage program at Hartford with plans of establishing a relationship with a village in The Gambia, West Africa where boys from Hartford would participate in future manhood training bush rituals. I was very blessed to make right connection to learn about the right opportunity at the right place, so I immediately signed up to help Dr. Pierson. He started the Kafo Academy based on the part of Alex Haley’s book Roots that focused on Kunta Kinte’s manhood training bush ritual. A similar program was also being started called the Kentake Academy for girls. With my strong self-knowledge and Morehouse education, the leaders of the academy quickly elevated me to the position of Kintango (Chief Teacher) for the boys who will make the trip to Africa each year. We met every Saturday and occasionally organized retreats to facilitate the program objectives and foster the bonding environment. The work we were doing with the Rites of Passage program started to get some awareness and recognition. To take boys and girls to Africa each year would require significant resources (financial and other) to accomplish. There were people in the church questioning why on Earth we would want to go to Africa. To help financially, Hartford Men United – a group of strong and dedicated men of the church who care about children – each year would help to raise funds during the church’s annual Men’s Day celebration. One year, my service to the church was recognized in the same year that the late Attorney Johnnie Cochran was our keynote speaker. On another occasion, the Detroit newspaper did a story on Hartford’s Rites of Passage program which featured a picture of me teaching some of the boys about Africa. Without a doubt, I had found the best possible arena to perform my community service right at my own church home.

Making the Pilgrimage to Africa

Throughout my years of reading about Africa and debating with others about how to best empower and serve African-Americans, I have met many people who talked a big game who never stepped foot on the Continent. That was about to change for me. Words cannot express the rush of emotions when I walked off the plane my first time. It was difficult to balance for me because I had a more important responsibility to watch over the six boys that made the trip with me the first year. It became easier during subsequent trips. On three of the five trips I made to Africa, we were blessed to be accompanied by Pastor Adams.

For the kids, some of them have never been on an airplane before. The warm-up flight was from Detroit to JFK New York with a layover before boarding Air Afrique for the 8 hour flight to Dakar, Senegal. I remember one year when one of my boys was given 3 disposable cameras to capture memories of his trip to Africa. I had to force him stop taking pictures after he went through one of the 3 cameras just at JFK airport during the layover. If the kids were nervous about the trip, it certainly didn’t show. Each group we took in five separate years was just as excited as I was.

Each year, the first day or two is spent touring Dakar, Senegal and travelling to The Gambia where the Rites of Passage ritual would take place. The focal point of the Dakar tour included our annual pilgrimage to Goree Island which was a minor port and site of a European settlement as part of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Taking a different group of kids to Goree Island each year was just as rewarding for me than the actual Rites of Passage ritual. It is very significant for our children to understand what their Ancestors went through in Africa, the Middle Passage and in America to enable them to have the freedoms they take advantage of every day. The Goree Island Curator would teach the kids how African men, women and children were taken from their families and pushed through this door never to see their homeland again. Our children must understand that we are the only people who could go through this door, forced to be a slave, overcome that circumstance and come back as tourists.

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Critical Elements of Rites of Passage Source: Kupigana Ngumi by Shaha Mfundishi Maasi & Mfundishi J. H. Hassan K. Salim There are many different programs using the term Rites of Passage to define their objectives. To ensure that your Rites of Passage program is both effective and consistent with our culture, there are certain elements that all program participants must have:           

Name his/her family ancestors as far as possible Knowledge of the Nguzo Saba and the 42 laws of Maat Assistance to the elderly or handicapped Good manners to (a) parents, (b) adults and (c) women Proper exercise or physical program Application of energies to creative work Good study habits and good school work Discipline in speech and action (orations and oral presentations) Knowledge of African History (Africans and Africans in America) Knowledge of World culture and Geography Knowledge of African-centricity as applied to the following:  Education  Economics  Health (mental, spiritual, physical)  Spirituality / Religion  Governance  War or conflict  Relationships / Sex  Ethics  Labor  Recreation / Entertainment

Mediums Used in Rites of Passage Source: Kupigana Ngumi by Shaha Mfundishi Maasi & Mfundishi J. H. Hassan K. Salim To enable the achievement of these critical elements of a Rites of Passage program, there are various mediums that should be used. The key success factor for each participant is exposure. Expose each participant to the various things that will make a valuable contribution to his or her development as well as the development of the community.      

Music Video taping Theater Creative projects Field trips Cultural festivals

      

Research projects Reading and book list Youth forum Overnight weekend trips Political meetings Voter registration and election campaign Library - must have a library card

Manhood & Womanhood Training Reference Points Source: Kupigana Ngumi by Shaha Mfundishi Maasi & Mfundishi J. H. Hassan K. Salim

Although many programs may differ in format and/or execution, all Rites of Passage training should teach certain basic values and aspects of manhood/womanhood. Each program should use these reference points to focus and measure its ability to train boys and girls to become men and women.           

Generosity - The spirit of sharing Discipline - A commitment to self worth Patience - the ability to persevere Courage - The ability to face the truth Wisdom - The ability to practice the truth Insight - The ability to recognize the truth Skill - The ability to provide for ones own needs Humility - The recognition of ones own faults Vitality - The power of human vigor Enlightenment - The power of human illumination Education - The importance of the family - mentally, physically and spiritually

Objectives of Rites of Passage Source: Kupigana Ngumi by Shaha Mfundishi Maasi & Mfundishi J. H. Hassan K. Salim

Your objectives for your Rites of Passage program should reflect the objectives of your organization. To help you come up with the objectives of your program, ask yourself “Upon graduating from our program, the participants should be able to...”. Below are sample objectives that relate to how traditional Rites of Passage programs are structured:    

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To foster knowledge among the adolescence of the specific nature of their sexuality To encourage appreciation of the African family for survival To understand the greatness of culture and tradition To enhance awareness of their role in the development of their community and their friendship To increase the appropriate and practical use of time, work habits, and money To direct interests and attitudes towards creative self-expression as a meaningful vehicle To use nurturing, self-loving approaches to a variety of everyday, as well as historical or work-related situations

Overall Goal - To provide opportunities for African adolescents to prepare themselves physically, socially, emotionally, intellectually, and culturally for passage into manhood/womanhood.

Organization Structure - Rites of Passage Program Roles & Responsibilities Director: Provide leadership for program and ensure the overall objectives are being achieved (Lead by example at ALL levels of program) Assistant Director(s): Manage the scheduled activities and functions of the program such as scheduling volunteers, organizing retreats and field trips and assisting the Director when necessary Council of Elders: Governing body that advises the Directors regarding all matters of the program (especially on transferring the knowledge and values of the organization to the children) Parent Support: Provide Spiritual values and parental support for each in the program. Participate in field trips and functions and communicate parental concerns and issues Spiritual Leaders: Provide Spiritual values and support throughout all aspects of the program (especially within the Curriculum and Parent Support)

Program Structure - Rites of Passage Program Requirements

Budget: The total cost to run program per student using the typical Rites-Of-Passage program structure outlined below: Uniform: The consistent attire for each student (i.e. t-shirt, sweatshirt bearing organization and program name) Retreats: One day or weekend excursions that separate the students from their everyday environment in order to bond with program director(s) and staff Field Trips: Activities outside the organization premises that exposes students to culture, art and community service Meetings: Regularly scheduled meeting dates and times where the Rites-Of-Passage program is executed (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly)

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Sankofa Leadership Model Rites of Passage Curriculum The Sankofa Leadership Model is a curriculum designed to expose children to the qualities and behaviors of effective 21st century leadership. Sankofa, an Akan word which means to return to the past in order to go forward, incorporates knowledge of African and African-American history. Children will be exposed to knowledge and engage in thought-provoking topics to prepare them to become leaders within our community.

The Sankofa Leadership Model curriculum prepares our children for leadership and life. The Keys to Life is the life skills portion of the curriculum which incorporates knowledge about life to enable them to make good decisions. Children will be exposed to the choices and circumstances that influence a good quality of life for their present and future lifestyle.

Teachers, parents or mentors will facilitate the exposure of the leadership and life skills aspects of this curriculum through a series of structured and comprehensive lessons and activities within all of the subject areas within these two models.

Self-Knowledge refers to the rise and fall of African Civilization. The children must know our history in order to understand how we got in the condition we are in. Future

leaders must study African history to avoid making the same mistakes made in the past. These lessons learned can be applied to our values and activities the children currently participate in. Spirituality represents the constant force in the children’s lives that designed their background (Self Knowledge) and controls the Obstacles placed before them. In order to achieve Leadership, a commitment must be made with the spiritual force that will guide them through their Rites of Passage. Obstacles are those trials and tribulations placed in each student’s life to test his/her character and faith in their own Spirituality to make the right decisions. In order for the children to begin the transformation process, they must make a decision between the Obstacles in their lives and their own spiritual foundation. Self-Improvement represents the knowledge, wisdom and understanding the children must gain in order to achieve manhood / womanhood and demonstrate Leadership behaviors. Self-Improvement is necessary because it provides a continuous improvement mindset and structure for students to become true Leaders in our community. Life Skills refers to the mindset and planning that define true manhood /womanhood in life to complete their Rites of Passage. True leaders define their own greatness and contributions to society and the world before they even take the first step towards achieving them. There are three main stages in Life: the Learning stage, Working stage and the Living stage. Although there are no pre-determined ages that define each of these stages, society views the first 20-25 years of life as Learning, 25-60 as Working and 60+ as Living. In reality, the true measure of transition from one stage to the next is maturity. Each of the three stages of life consists of various categories that define your “Quality of Life” as you progress through your Life Journey. Throughout the childhood years of the Learning stage, the foundation of your life involves listening to your parents, going to school during the week, attending various activities and religious services on the weekend and playing. Once you grow into the young adult years of the Learning stage, add the pressures of sex, drugs, violence and peers to the previous categories. Needless to say, a strong foundation will help you overcome the obstacles that can prevent your transition from the Learning to the Working stage. Once in the Working stage, your life will be consumed with obtaining and maintaining a career, getting married and having children. The endurance and sacrifices associated with this stage can easily have an impact on your health, which makes it a very important additional category within the Working stage. After you have retired from your career and your children have graduated from the Learning stage and are in the Working Stage themselves, you can start “Living.” No longer working, you must make sure the money you saved can support your living expenses as well as your desired retirement lifestyle. Living as long as you have has provided you with much knowledge and wisdom that can nurture your purpose in life.

Components within the Sankofa Leadership Model Curriculum The Rites of Passage portion of the curriculum will be facilitated through a series of activities aimed at influencing change within young people. Influencing change is a process that takes several approaches to reach children who learn in different ways. Through Storytelling, Poetry & Videos, Self-Reflection Essays and Leadership Activities, the children will be deeply engaged in what it takes to be a leader. Teachers, Parents or Mentors will facilitate these structured activities to influence change within the children to have a strong sense of responsibility to themselves and our community. The Life Skills portion of the curriculum will be facilitated through a series of activities aimed at addressing current life issues the young people are dealing with while exposing them to what they can expect in life 10, 20, 30 and more years into the future. Through Protocols, SelfReflection Discussions, Meditation and Life Planning activities, the children will look at life in a big picture context to evaluate current choices and circumstances while preparing for future quality of life expectations. Teachers, Parents or Mentors will focus on the Learning stage because of the age of the children and expose them to the Working and Living stages to help set goals and plans.

Sankofa Leadership Model Component Descriptions The components outlined within this curriculum are designed to guide young people through their Rites of Passage and Life Skills transformation because they are aligned with the 7 steps to influence change: 1) Contact, 2) Awareness, 3) Desire, 4) Knowledge, 5) Adoption, 6) Reinforcement and 7) Commitment Contact - Life Protocols provide Do’s & Don’ts associated with each aspect of life to achieve maturity as an adult. We cannot blame our children for not knowing right from wrong if no one has ever actually taught them. Good manners is the foundation for maturity and leadership and too many adults incorrectly assume children know them. Awareness – Storytelling provides the children with awareness and perspective on our history and experience. Through reading or listening to Poetry & Videos, the children will better understand the importance and relevance of self-knowledge and selfimprovement. The unique style and multimedia delivery of the poetic storytelling lessons followed up with discussions from the teacher/mentor must serve as the catalyst for the children to change their current behavior. Desire: Self-Reflection essays provide each student the opportunity to demonstrate intellectual capabilities and comprehension of the Sankofa Leadership Model components. By reading the essays, teachers, parents or mentors can measure each student’s individual desire for self-improvement and understanding to provide feedback where appropriate. Knowledge: Storytelling provides the children with the knowledge, wisdom and understanding necessary to progress through the Rites of Passage. Information is provided for teachers, parents or mentors to teach about our history, challenges, transformation and coach students about life. Adoption: Leadership activities provide the opportunity to measure the children’ collective comprehension of the information presented in the Sankofa Leadership Model components. Through strong facilitation, the teacher/mentor should solicit opinions and beliefs about the causes and potential solutions to the relevant issues facing the children as individuals as well as the African-American community. Reinforcement: Life planning activities provide the opportunity to engage the children’s thinking about preparing for life as a mature adult. Each student must complete the activities to plan for their future in all aspects of life. Teachers, parents or mentors can leverage their life experiences to guide the children through these activities to provide reinforcement and perspective on what they have learned. Commitment: Meditation sessions allow the children to remain committed to change as they strive for self-improvement. Life can be tough and obstacles will always be present so teachers, parents and mentors must teach the children the importance of meditation as a means to stay focused on self-improvement, leadership behaviors and life goals.

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Rites of Passage: Overview

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The Keys to Life: Overview

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Poetry – The Importance of Work / Life Balance A Collection of Poems about the importance of life, purpose, spirituality, children and work By Ron Spears Table of Contents The Meaning of Life Finding Your Purpose To Believe or Not to Believe SHE Spiritual Fruit Generational Love & Preparation Where Would My Life Be Without You

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About the Author Born in Detroit, Ron Spears was raised by two loving parents and well-schooled about life by growing up the youngest child with two older sisters. Educated within the Detroit Public School system, he graduated from the renowned Cass Technical High School. He chose the prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta to further his education and graduated with a degree in Physics. Ron continued his education at the University of Wisconsin – Madison where he received a Master’s degree in Engineering. Professionally, Ron has worked for three of the world’s largest management consulting firms as a Change Management Consultant for over 20 years. He travels extensively to help major corporations and individuals embrace change while engaging in large-scale business transformation projects.

In 2008, Ron was inspired to begin writing poetry focusing on spirituality, relationships, empowerment and life purpose. The majority of his poems came to him during airplane rides and he began performing his poetry at Spoken Word venues in the US and Canada where he traveled extensively on business. Over the years, his collection of poetry has grown and inspired many of his friends who recognized that he had a gift.

Next, he began writing more about the meaning of life which motivated him to pursue life coaching as a way to share his poetry with others to help balance their perspective on life’s many challenges. Because of his engineering mind, he decided to create this roadmap to organize his thoughts and experiences to align with his poetry:

“Life is such a wonderful journey and I have been blessed with a gift to express my own reflections through the creative art of poetry. My prayer is that these poetic memoirs shared within this life coaching roadmap will have an impact on your quality of life during these troubling times of economic and social uncertainty. Reading these poetic memoirs will help you find peace and balance in your personal and professional life. There are so many forces active in destroying our life force and we must counter them with positive and empowering energy. We all have the capacity to overcome negative circumstances and transform our lives by simply leveraging the greatest asset God has given us…the ability to think and make wise decisions to improve rather than destroy our quality of life.”

He has volunteered as the chief teacher for an African Rites of Passage program for teenaged boys in Detroit where he took a different group each year to West Africa to engage in the manhood training ritual with a village still practicing the tradition. He has written a memoir and poetry about his experiences in Africa and organized them into a youth development curriculum which includes many of the life choices information presented within the Keys to Life. He describes the importance of such programs in the introduction to his memoir:

“The plight of African-Americans is full of triumph and tragedy in the past as well as the present. Sankofa, the title of my Rites of Passage curriculum for youth, is an Akan word which means to return to the past in order to go forward. In Traditional African culture, there are 4 major stages in everyone's life: Birth, Ritesof-Passage, Marriage and Death. As African-Americans, both family and community gather together to celebrate the birth of a child, attend wedding ceremonies and funerals to show love, support and recognition of these significant stages of life. The missing element in African-American culture is the formal and structured ritual celebrating each child's passage into manhood and womanhood. This very significant stage prepares young boys and girls for the responsibilities and challenges they will face as adults culminated by a formal celebration sponsored by the family and community.”

His life choices and rites of passage curriculum has been used in schools, churches, mentoring programs and community service organizations. The Keys to Life is his entrance into life coaching and he speaks at various conferences and events including a recent keynote speech at a professional association convention in Hawaii.

The inspiration behind his writing and helping people, adults and youth, motivated him to have yet another poetic reflection about his own purpose in life:

“The day I became a poet was when life began to really make sense A recipe of challenges mixed with powerful words and a just a pinch of relevance My messages about Spirituality, Love, Temptation and Empowerment are very clear Because no one but God can inspire such messages I am certain you need to hear

The happiest day in my life was never really about me The happiest day in my life had nothing to do with my legacy The happiest day in my life has more to do with you than with me The happiest day in my life was the day I discovered this ministry called POETRY”

On a personal note, Ron is in his 20th year of marriage and met his wife in high school. Together, they have a teenaged son and daughter and reside in the metro Detroit Area. His preference in music is House, Jazz, Neo Soul and Classical. His musical influences include Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spaulding, Michael Franks and the many unknown House music lyricists with powerful messages about love, joy and harmony. He has an extensive library of books and enjoys reading about Personal Development, Physics & Consciousness, Spirituality and African History. Be sure to follow Ron on Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud and YouTube.

So why do I write poetry? By Ron Spears

I write because, like you, I get confused about the meaning of life The good times come with great memories But the bad times come with even greater pain

I often receive pearls of wisdom to help solve this mystery called life From every person I encounter, every book I read and every place I travel

I process and store all of these pearls along with the memories and pain To find the meaning and purpose I need on my journey for self-improvement

I haven’t answered the question, but perhaps you already know by now My poetry is a ministry to myself and only has to make sense to me It’s how I document a lifetime of pearls to recite at a moment’s notice Poetry forces me to be concise because otherwise I can get long winded

There are times when my documented pearls shine light on other people Then poetry is a powerful weapon since people have short attention spans

I can hear you calling out for help, but it was necessary to help myself first I’m one step closer to solving this mystery, but excited if my poetry makes you two steps…

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