Sankofa is a word in the Twi language of Ghana that translates to "Go back and get it" (san - to return; ko - to go; fa - to fetch, to seek and take) and also refers to the Asante Adinkra symbol represented either with a stylized heart shape or by a bird with its head turned backwards while its feet face forward carrying a precious egg in its mouth. Sankofa is often associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi," which translates as: "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten."

     The Sankofa heart is common design often displayed upside down on Brownstone residential buildings and gates here in the United States.

      It symbolizes reaching back from the past what is good and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge into the future.