Each week, Jacksonville is plagued by a variety if negative stories in beleaguering the north area of the city and communities of color. In an effort to combat the violence and dysfunction at a grassroots level, the Kemetic Empire has organized to take back the community the have all grown up in. Organized in 2003, by local activist Diallo Sekou, the non profit provides a variety of initiative under the banner of the Sankofa Initiative to the urban community designed to inspire, prepare and educate citizens for the journey ahead without despair. “We want the public and private sector to know we are not standing in acquiescence. We need the killers off the streets today. So far in 2016 there have been three homicides and 113 in 2015 – mostly unsolved,” said Sekou. “We have to take control of our situations. These individuals are robbing us of our natural freedom to enjoy and brag about our beautiful city. These murders are a contributing factor to the denial of the economic growth and development on the Northside. No one will come where murders happen every week.” Programming of the Sankofa Initiative includes immediate and long term goals for the residents that surround urban Jacksonville. Their diverse commitment ranges from raising awareness through sit-ins and marches to free rites of passage programs to youth, financial planning workshops for adults and clothing for the homeless. The Kemetic Empire believes in a strong and consistent presence in the community serving under the mantra, “One street at a time” as their strategy.
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