Amani Sankofa Honoring DC award winners with an art piece representing Amani: “A neighborhood with a rich history and a thriving future”
mani means peace in the Swahili language. Together, residents and partners are working to bring peace back to the Amani neighborhood. This work of art, which was created by an artist who was raised in Amani, represents a reflection of Amani’s past and our collective aspirations for Amani’s future. The street is a one-point perspective of the block that the artist – Allison Westbrook – grew up on. It is from the perspective of a person standing in the middle of the street looking towards the future. This viewpoint represents the future aspirations that we are working to achieve.
“go back and get it.” This symbolism reflects our aspiration that, one day, Amani will once again be a thriving neighborhood. Centered in the path is a familial representa- tion of the people who call the Amani neigh- borhood home – the residents who represent generations. They are centered because they are at the heart of our work. There is a radi- ant light surrounding the family, and they are walking down the path towards our future. This underscores our aspiration that, one day, the families in Amani will once again thrive. In the years to come, we will be able to pro- claim, “Amani is a thriving neighborhood of
choice because together we have helped restore the community.”
The Amani neighborhood was once thriving. Residents were employed and owned their homes. When Milwau- kee’s manufacturing fortune waned in the 60’s, the neigh- borhood started to decline. The housing and mortgage crisis of 2008 further dis- tressed the neighborhood. The black swans located on the street represent this history while also depicting
About the Artist Allison Westbrook was born and raised on Milwaukee’s North side within the Amani neighborhood. He and his family lived in the shadow of the old A.O. Smith factory. The street view in this work of art is the actual block Allison grew up on. As a
our hope for the future. In short, the black swans symbolize an unpredictable or unfore- seen event, usually one with extreme conse- quences. This representation acknowledges the decades of divestment and marginalizing systems that contribute to today’s chal- lenges. Moreover, the birds are craning their necks back and eating eggs in the style of the Andinkra symbol, Sankofa, which means to
kid (the second youngest of nine) art was his way of making sense of the world; it fed his curiosity and gave him the confidence to be challenged by new ideas and it helped shine a light on the dark around him. As an adult, he is even more thankful for this gift because it aids in finding the metaphors in this ever more complex world when things seem to make no sense at all.
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