In case anyone else is struggling, I found this in an article by a Black educators’ group at the University of Rochester:
There are several overlapping interpretations:
Taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge.
Going back and reclaiming our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today.
One basic and important meaning still lies; one’s past is an important aspect of one’s future. So in order to make the best of one’s future, one must visit one’s past.
no subject
There are several overlapping interpretations:
Taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge.
Going back and reclaiming our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today.
One basic and important meaning still lies; one’s past is an important aspect of one’s future. So in order to make the best of one’s future, one must visit one’s past.
(Full article is here https://www.rochester.edu/diversity/faculty-staff/resource-groups/sankofa/#)