NOVEMBER 12, 2025
BLACK PUBLIC MEDIA
WEEKLY DISPATCH
By Leslie Fields-Cruz
Veterans Day offers a good opportunity to look back as we press ahead
The Akan proverb “Sankofa” offers wise guidance for us in this era of radical transformation. It is symbolized by the image of a bird reaching backwards to retrieve items it has dropped in its haste to move forward. “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi,” which in English translates to: “it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot.” I don’t know about you, but in this season of thanksgiving, channeling Sankofa energy feels appropriate.
On Veterans Day, we stop to recall the sacrifices and contributions millions of Americans have made in service to our country through military service. For decades, public media has been a champion of veteran stories. Though BPM hasn’t funded many films about sevice members, we have invested heavily in documentaries about those who’ve served this country in other ways. Documentaries including The American Diplomat, Fannie Lou Hamer’s America, John Lewis: Get in the Way, and I Am Not Your Negro help society recall our nation’s missteps while simultaneously celebrating the feats of those who’ve dared to propel us forward.
Learning from Past Mistakes
Though we may never have federal funding involved in public media again, there were some lessons learned in this recent fallout. For me, a big one is the reminder that there are many other potential funders out there. This season of change is providing the incentive for organizations like BPM to pursue and nurture these new relationships. What suggestions do you have for how we might identify and court these would-be supporters? We welcome your ideas.
BPM’s commitment to elevating chapters from our past, in the military and elsewhere, is unwavering. These stories will help the pioneers of tomorrow move forward, clear eyed about where we’ve been and how we’ve sacrificed, faltered and triumphed. The honest retelling of these stories not only honors those upon whose shoulders we stand, it positions us all to inch closer to the “more perfect union” our predecessors dreamed of and sacrificed for on our behalf. That’s channeling Sankofa energy. Let’s go!