The Cookout: Reparations & Wealth Building | Part 1

Welcome to The Cookout, a Sankofa Sessions live conversation where culture, community, and conversation come together.

In Part 1, co-hosts Kofi Annan and comedian Mu Cuzzo lead a candid community discussion about reparations for Black Americans—what reparations should look like, who should receive them, what is owed, and how reparations connect to the larger struggle for economic justice and wealth building.

The Cookout is designed to feel exactly like its name: a space where we can come together, speak freely, disagree respectfully, laugh, learn, and have the conversations our community needs to have.

🔥 In this episode:
• The case for reparations
• What reparations could actually look like
• Who should qualify and who should pay
• The lasting economic impact of slavery and discrimination
• Reparations vs. broader economic policies
• Building Black wealth and economic power
• Different perspectives from our panel and community

Co-hosted by Kofi Annan & Mu Cuzzo

This is Part 1 of the conversation. Subscribe to Sankofa Sessions and turn on notifications so you don't miss Part 2 and future episodes of The Cookout.

Culture. Community. Conversation.

#TheCookout #SankofaSessions #Reparations #BlackReparations #BlackWealth #WealthBuilding #BlackEconomics #EconomicJustice #BlackCommunity #PetersburgVA

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Every conversation is a step toward collective liberation.

he Cookout: Reparations & Wealth Building | Part 2

The conversation continues at The Cookout, a Sankofa Sessions live experience bringing together culture, community, and conversation.

In Part 2, co-hosts Kofi Annan and comedian Mu Cuzzo shift the discussion from reparations to wealth building in the Black community.

What does it actually take to build wealth—not just individually, but across families and generations? The conversation explores the barriers that have historically limited Black wealth while also looking forward at what we can do today to strengthen our economic position.

From homeownership and entrepreneurship to investing, financial literacy, supporting Black-owned businesses, and passing assets to the next generation, the discussion gets into the opportunities—and challenges—of turning income into lasting wealth.

🔥 In this episode:
• Building generational wealth
• Homeownership and property ownership
• Entrepreneurship and Black-owned businesses
• Saving, investing, and financial literacy
• Keeping dollars circulating within our communities
• Moving from income to ownership
• Creating opportunities for the next generation
• The connection between economic power and community power

Co-hosted by Kofi Annan & Mu Cuzzo

If you watched Part 1 on reparations, this conversation takes the next step: Regardless of what happens with reparations, what can we do right now to build greater economic power for ourselves and future generations?

Subscribe to Sankofa Sessions for more episodes of The Cookout and conversations connecting the African Diaspora.

Culture. Community. Conversation.

Support the show

Every conversation is a step toward collective liberation.

Stories have always been more than entertainment in the African diaspora—they have been tools of survival, resistance, healing, and cultural preservation. From the griots of West Africa to modern poetry, theater, and spoken word, storytelling has carried the wisdom, struggles, triumphs, and identities of Black people across generations.

In this episode of Sankofa Sessions with Kofi and Kofi, we explore the enduring power of storytelling and why it remains vital to our communities today. Joining us are Charlene Riley, Chairwoman of the Blk Virginia Theatre Alliance, arts advocate, playwright, and community activist, and Khalil Houston, writer and spoken word artist whose work challenges, inspires, and amplifies the human experience.

Together, we discuss how stories preserve history, shape identity, fuel social movements, and connect generations across the diaspora. We also examine the role of artists, poets, and theater makers in ensuring that our narratives are told authentically and passed on to future generations.

Whether through the stage, the page, or the spoken word, our stories continue to remind us where we've been—and help guide us toward where we're going.

Join us for a powerful conversation about memory, culture, creativity, and the stories that continue to carry us forward.

Support the show

Every conversation is a step toward collective liberation.