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Diverse Author Study- Linda Sue Park

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Linda Sue Park

The Basics

Born: March 25, 1960  Urbana, IL


Age: 55


Ethnicity: Korean American


Education: M.A. English


Genre: Young Adult Fiction,Poetry  Historical Fiction,Biography, Picture Books


Personal Info: Husband; Ben Dobbin and 2 children; Anna and Sean


Other Occupations: Public relations for an oil firm, food journalism, teaching English as a second language to college students


Interesting Fact:  Park did not begin writing children's books until after her own children were born.




Parks' first published piece was a haiku she wrote at the age of 9.


       In the green forest

     A sparkling, bright blue pond hides,

     And animals drink.

                                 -Trailblazer magazine, Winter 1969

                                  



Parks was given a $1 check for this haiku and that check was framed and hung above her father's desk for many years. Through elementary and high school, she continued to publish poems in magazines for children and young people. 

Park has written the following titles:


Novels:


       A Long Walk to Water

     Archers Quest

     A Single Shard

     Click

     Keeping Score

     Project Mulberry

     Seesaw Girl

     The 39 Clues: Storm Warning

     The 39 Clues: Trust No One

     The Kite Fighters

     When My Name Was Keoko

     Wing and Claw: Forest of Wonders    


Picture Books:


        Bee-bim Bop!

     Mung-Mung:  A Fold-Out Book of Animal Sounds

     Tap Dancing Roof

     What Does Bunny See

     Xander's Panda Party

     Yaks Yak:  Animal word Pairs

     Yum! Yuck!:  A Fold-Out Book of People Sounds


Quotes

by Linda Sue Park

I chose to highlight the following 3 texts as they represent a pre-k picture book, a mid elementary grade picture book, and a YA novel. The videos to the left each have a segment of the texts read as an example.   


Mung-Mung is a pre k book that uses animal sound words in a variety of different languages.  Ex: "What kind of animal says GAV-GAV in Russian, BO-BO in Hindi, and WOW-WOW in Spanish?" Then children lift the flap to find out, "It's a dog!"

The Firekeeper's Son is set in early 19th century Korea, after Sang-hee's father injures his ankle, Sang-hee attempts to take over the task of lighting the evening fire, which signals to the palace that all is well. Sang-hee, just once, hoped to see the soldiers who would come if the fire wasn't lit. 

"Do not forget, my son, that we are a part of the king's guard just as the soldiers are.  We are the very first part." Sang-hee's father smiled.  "The village will be pleased to hear that another trustworthy firekeeper has been born to our family."  Suddenly, Sang-hee was glad he had lit the fire.  The gladness felt as warm as a glowing coal."

A New York Times best seller, A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985.  The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is  a two hour walk from her home. She makes two trips to the pond every day.  The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot in search for the families and for a safe place to stay.  Enduring every hardship from loneliness, to attack by armed rebels. to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor.  The story ends in Nya's life intersecting with Salva's when he, as an adult, comes to build a well in her village.  My favorite quote is one by Salva, himself, to the reader of the book.  He says, "Stay calm when things are hard or not going right with you.  You will get through them if you stay calm instead of quitting." 

     When I first started researching authors, I was torn between many.  However, I kept coming back to Linda Sue Park again and again.  I was attracted to her for many reasons.  First of all, she writes books from pre-k to young adult.  I am always impressed with authors who are able to hold the interest of both a toddler and a teenager.  Next, I love the fact that she extensively researches before beginning her books. Being that she was raised in the United States her entire life, she depended on her parents (who were immigrants) and her extended family members back in Korea to help her understand her Korean history.  She didn't stop there, however, she did the research to back up her culturally authentic texts.  Also, I really like that she writes books set both in modern day, and in the past. She seems to seamlessly navigate between genres, interest levels, and topics.  This is no small feat.  Finally, I was drawn to the fact that she wrote A Long Walk to Water. This text is outside the box of her Korean or American heritage and focuses on the biographical account of Salva, a lost boy of Sudan, as well as Nya, a character from today's world.  This is not her culture.  This is not her heritage. This is not her story.  Yet, her talent allowed her to weave the story of Salva and Nya into a beautiful piece which alternates between the two. 


     I also like the fact that she has won a variety of different awards, (please click on the below link for her author's page which lists these in detail) but none more meaningful to this study than Asian Pacific American Librarians Association and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.  These awards said, to me, that not only are her books enjoyable to read, but they are approved by those who would be most in touch with the stereotypes or single story view of a given culture or group.  Their stamp of approval prompted me to further look into her works. Her works are diverse racially, culturally, ethnically, linguistically, and in genre.  For a diverse author study, I don't know that one could get any more diverse than that. 


    Since Parks writes such a variety of texts, almost anyone is able to find a mirror text to connect with.  For example, I am obviously not Korean, yet I can find a connection with Sang-hee in The Firekeeper's Son.  Although he knew he had a responsibility to light the fire, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see the soldiers protect the land he has always known to be peaceful.  Who of us hasn't secretly wished something not so good would happen to bring some possible excitement to our lives?  However, few if any of us, here in the US have any idea what it is like not to have sanitary drinking water.  A Long Walk to Water is definitely a window text into the lives of others and the every day luxuries we take so often for granted. Parks' texts are constantly switching between the two, mirrors for today's middle school students in Project Mayberry to windows to Korean history in A Single Shard.  Often, Parks' texts includes both mirrors and windows together when focusing on language in Yum! Yuk! and  Mung-Mung, and focusing on family relationships and preparation of food in Bee-bim Bop!   


   Finally, in the video above, Can a Children's Book Change the World, Park speaks to being picked on and singled out because she was different.  She goes on to say, "to the prom queen of 1977 who ignored me, I'm up here on stage giving a Ted Talk!" I always love a girl with a little sass!

     



The link below is Linda Sue Parks' website.  There is a wealth of information on this page including a more detailed biography, a listing of the many awards she has been given, (arranged by book title and including the prestigious Newberry) links with summaries of each of her books, links to other activities, and more. Take a few minutes to check it out.  I encourage you to include a few of Park's books on your classroom shelves, and it doesn't matter if you teach Pre-K or high school.  She really does have something for everyone.    


www.lspark.com



Sherman Alexie

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To learn more about Sherman Alexie, please visit http://fallsapart.com/
Sherman Alexie is a poet, short story writer, novelist, and performer. He has published 24 books including What I've Stolen, What I've Earned, poetry, Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a novel for children.  He has also recently published the 20th Anniversary edition of his classic book of stories, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.  Smoke Signals is the movie he wrote and co-produced, 

Alexie is a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian.  He was born on October 7, 1966 and grew up in Wellpinit, Washington, on the Spokane Indian Reservation.  Alexie has been an urban Indian since 1994 and lives in Seattle with his family.
Sherman Alexie speaks to the single story and multicultural literature.  He also references stereotypes and cultural authenticity in literature.
Alexie's poetry, short stories and novels explore themes of despair, poverty, violence and alcoholism among the lives of Native American people, both on and off the reservation. They are lightened by wit and humor.  According to Sarah A. Quirk from the Dictionary of Library Biography, Alexie asks three questions across all of his works: "What does it mean to live as an Indian in this time? What does it mean to be an Indian man? Finally, what does it mean to live on an Indian reservation?"  The protagonists in most of his literary works exhibit a constant struggle with themselves and their own sense of powerlessness in white American society.

Alexie’s writings are meant to evoke sadness, but at the same time he uses humor and pop culture that leaves the readers with a sense of respect, understanding, and compassion.  Alexie’s influences for his literary works do not rely solely on traditional Indian forms. He “blends elements of popular culture, Indian spirituality, and the drudgery of poverty-ridden reservation life to create his characters and the world they inhabit,” according to Quirk.  Alexie's work is laced with often startling humor. According to Quirk, he does this as a "means of cultural survival for American Indians—survival in the face of the larger American culture's stereotypes of American Indians and their concomitant distillation of individual tribal characteristics into one pan-Indian consciousness."  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Alexie
AWARDS
National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship, PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Book of Fiction, Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Award, American Book Award, Granta Magazine: Twenty Best American Novelists Under the Age of 40, New York Times Notable Book, People Magazine: Best of Pages
The New Yorker: 20 Writers for the 21st Century, PEN/Malamud Award, National Book Award, Young People's Literature, American Library Association Odyssey Award as the year's "best audiobook for children or young adults", PEN/Faulkner Award, Native Writers' Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award, Puterbaugh Award, the first American Puterbaugh fellow, California Young Reader Medal
In 2012, Arizona's HB 2281 banned the study of Alexie's works, among others', in Arizona schools. Alexie's response:
“He loved her, of course, but better than that, he chose her, day after day. Choice: that was the thing.” 
― The Toughest Indian in the World
“Life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community.” 
―The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
“Poetry = Anger x Imagination” 
― Sherman Alexie, One Stick Song
Sherman Alexie speaks from his Native American background and brings cultural authenticity to his writings.  His writings challenge the notions of the status quo and this is made most evident by the history of banning his books in Arizona schools.  He writes with an honesty and experience that provides mirrors for Native Americans to find themselves in literature and windows so that those who are not Native American can have an insight into the Native American culture.  His writing provides the reader with a reference for life on a reservation and a look at the impact of the not so pretty parts of reservation life, from alcoholism to lack of education.  His move into children's literature has won awards but most importantly, it provides young adults with an opportunity to read culturally relevant and authentic Native American literature. 

Kadir Nelson

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Kadir Nelson 
Books written by
Kadir Nelson
Books illustrated by
Kadir Nelson
    Book Awards

Nelson is a two-time Caldecott Honor Award winner. He received an NAACP Image Award for the book Just the Two of Us. For his book, We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, he received the 2008 CASEY Award for best baseball book, the 2009 Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the 2009 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. His book, Nelson Mandela, was a Coretta Scott King honor book in 2014.
Interviews with Kadir 
All About Kadir
Nelson began drawing at the age of three, displaying artistic acumen before he could write or spell. "I have always been an artist," Nelson explains. "It's part of my DNA." At age eleven, he was apprenticed by his uncle, an artist and art teacher. Later, he began entering his paintings in art competitions and ultimately won an art scholarship to study at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Upon graduating with honors, Nelson began his professional career as an artist, publishing his work and receiving commissions from publishers and production studios such as Dreamworks, Sports Illustrated, Coca-Cola, The New York Times and Major League Baseball, among others.
Nelson started his career in children's books when an editor asked him to illustrate Big Jabe, written by Jerdine Nolen, as a result of winning an award from the New York Society of Illustrators. Around the same time, actress Debbie Allen asked if he would be interested in illustrating a book based on one of her stage productions, Brothers of the Knight.
Nelson won a 2008 Caldecott Honor for Henry's Freedom Box, written by Ellen Levine. In this stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom, Nelson combined his own style of painting with a cross-hatched style of illustration he found used in a historial lithograph from 1850 that documented Henry's arrival to Philadelphia. "The challenge that comes with illustrating historical picture books is finding accurate references," states Nelson. "Deciphering between what is accurate, and what is not." 
What I Like About Kadir 
During my search for authentic African American children’s literature, I stubble upon the author Kadir Nelson and found myself intrigued by the artist’s unique illustrations. I found it very refreshing that Kadir was so adamant on incorporating historic facts into the publications of his works. The softness and tone of Kadir’s illustrations speak to the ideals of hope and perseverance, both to African Americans and Americans in general. The fact that this author comes from an architectural background gives you the sense that he is interested in establishing a solid foundation in every aspect of his work.   

Laila

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Laila Lalami

Learn more about Laila at

http://lailalalami.com


Authentic novelist who grew up in Morocco and wants others to look into the lives of Muslims and uses her essays and short stories to write her perspective.

Recently she has responded to the presidential debates and fueled the fire against Islam and Muslims, trying to educate others.

Her books are award winners and she is very culturally authentic.

Over 20 honors and award combinations from 2006-present day! She is a spectacular novelist and takes action to educate others.

NEWARK'S MURALISTS.

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STEVE GREEN THE MURALIST.
STEVE GREEN IS AN AMAZING ARTIST. CREATIVE AND DEDICATED TO HIS COMMUNITY. HE IS AN EDUCATOR AND A MINISTER.  HE BEAUTIFIES AND HEALS THE COMMUNITY THROUGH HIS ART.  
THIS YEAR THE INITIATIVE MY BROTHER'S KEEPER IN NEWARK, THE STUDENTS OF RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-NEWARK AND YENDOR PRODUCTION  WILL BE WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL MURAL IN THE SOUTH WARD IN NEWARK NEW JERSEY.  
I WILL ALSO BE PART OF THE PROJECT THIS YEAR, TOGETHER WITH A CLASS OF ABOUT 40 STUDENTS FROM DIFFERENT MAJORS, BACKGROUNDS AND WALK OF LIFE. 

Joseph Bruchac

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Joseph Bruchac
Author, Storyteller, Musician
Growing Up… 
Born October 16, 1942
He was raised by his maternal grandparents.
His grandfather was barely literate, but his grandmother had a law degree and filled their homes with books.
American Indian, Slovak, and English roots

Why write Native American Literature?
Education and Accomplishments
*B.A. from Cornell University 
*M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse 
*Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio 
*Rockefeller Humanities fellowship 
*National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry 
*Cherokee Nation Prose Award 
*Knickerbocker Award 
*Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature 
*1998 Writer of the Year and Storyteller of the Year from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers 
*1999 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas 
Career
*Keta Secondary School, Ghana West Africa, Teacher of English and Literature 1966-69
*Skidmore College, Sarasota Springs, instructor of creative writing and African and black literatures, 1969-73
*University without Walls, 1974-1981
*writer and storyteller 1981-present
*writer and editor of Greenfield Review, 1969-1987
*Greenfield Review Literacy Center director, 1981-present
*musician with Dawn Land Singers, recording stories and music on Abenaki Cultural Heritage and Alnobak, Good Mind Records.
*Member of adjunct faculty at Hamilton College, 1983, 1985, 1987, and State University of New York—Albany, 1987-88
*storyteller-in-residence at CRC Institute for Arts in Education, 1989-90, and at other institutions, including Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, St. Regis Mohawk Indian School, Seneca Nation School, Onondaga Indian School, Institute of Alaska Native Arts, and Annsville Youth Facility  
A Boy Called Slow
Between Earth and Sky
Buffalo Song
Crazy Horse's Vision
The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet
The First Strawberries
The Great Ball Game
How Chipmunk Got His Stripes
Many Nations
The Maple Thanksgiving
Navajo Long Walk
Rabbit's Snow Dance
Raccoon's Last Race
and many more...120 titles total!
Native American Children's Literature
Titles by Bruchac
*Still lives in the house he was raised in, in Greenfield Center, New York .
*He works alongside his sister Margaret, and his sons James and Jesse, to preserve Abenaki culture, language, and native skills.
*Performs traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.
*Visits elementary and secondary schools to share his storytelling and discusses Native culture.
Where is he now?
Teaching Tips
**Use the book Codetalkers during a study on World War II to offer a Native American perspective.
**Compare the experiences and stories from the the Native American perspective of Thanksgiving using Squanto's Journey (Bruchac) with Encounter (Jane Yolen).
**Use How Chipmunk Got Its Stripes to illustrate Native American mythology and as an explanation of an event in nature. 

United

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Forside

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Diverse Author Study

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Matt de la Pena
Mexican American author of young adult novels -- mostly for high school students & two children's books
Bio
Author Interview on NPR -- Focuses on his novel, The Living
http://www.npr.org/2013/11/23/246380621/even-on-the-water-class-remains-in-session
de la Pena grew up in National City, California, a town close to the Mexican border. He refers to himself as a mixed kid – his mom is white, and his dad is Mexican. He remembers not feeling “Mexican enough” throughout his life. Then, when he left for college, he felt like a “sell out.” He notes that so few people in his community went to college, so he felt a little like he was betraying his community by doing so. Growing up, basketball was the center of his life, even more so than school. His mom’s policy was that as long as he maintained a 3.0 GPA, she would leave him alone about basketball. So, that’s exactly what he did. He maintained that GPA but never tried to raise it. He also describes himself as a reluctant reader, noting he only read Basketball Digest and never finished an entire novel until college.  Find out more about his background in the video below.
Literary Works: Books!
• Ball Don't Lie (2005) Named a 2006 ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA-YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and was developed into a motion picture in 2008 featuring Ludacris, Nick Cannon, and Emilie de Ravin
 
• Mexican White Boy (2008) Named a 2009 ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (Top Ten Pick), and was featured on the 2008 Bulletin for the Center of Children's Literature Blue Ribbon List.

• We Were Here (2009) Named a 2010 ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, a 2010 ALA-YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers

• I Will Save You (2010) Named a 2011 ALA-YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers and a Junior Library Guild Selection

• A Nation's Hope-The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (2010) (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) Received starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal

• Infinity Ring: Curse of the Ancients (2013) 

• Eternity (2013)

• The Living (2013)

• Last Stop on Market Street (2015)

• The Hunted (2015)
Awards for Last Stop on Market Street
Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal
A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
A NY Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2015
A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of 2015
Matt's Journey as a Writer
He’s Mexican, because his family’s Mexican, but he’s not really Mexican … Danny holds the pencil above the paper thinking: I’m a white boy among Mexicans, and a Mexican among white boys” (90).
"Reading is the ultimate form of empathy, and the more you read the more understand not just yourself but other worlds and other people and you become a more compassionate person."-Matt de la Peña
Reading as Mirrors, Windows, & 
Sliding Doors
YA Author David Leviathan Interviews Matt de la Pena at BookCon 2015

de la Pena served on the "We Need Diverse Books" Panel

He says he now wants to write books that feature diverse characters but aren't about diversity.
As more thoroughly explained in the videos, Matt was a reluctant reader in high school and did not necessarily value education.  However, he secrectly wrote poetry and started out writing Spoken Word poems.  He swore he'd never write about basketball, but a few months later, he began writing his first novel, Ball Don't Lie, which relies heavily on basketball to propel the plot.
We Were Here

Matt describes this book as inspired by John Steinbeck' classic novel Of Mice and Men.  This would be a good book to include as a supplementary text to the often taught classic.

de la Pena refers to his character Mong as a sort of Lenny character.

The 3 main characters are from 3 different races but come together in a group home.
“That’s the weirdest thing, by the way. That every person you come across lays down in a bed, under the covers, and closes their eyes at night. Cops, teachers, parents, hot girls, pro ballers, everybody. For some reason it makes people seem so much less real when I look at them.” We Were Here
Many of Matt de la Pena's books seem to be High-Low books, which means that they are written at a high interest level for high school students but at a lower reading level, possibly for reluctant or struggling readers.  Matt was a reluctant himself, so he can relate to today's students.
Howard County Public Schools

In this thorough & very interesting video, 
de la Pena discusses his life growing up, life experiences that inspired him to write, and many of his most famous books.
Matt de la Pena

Ezra Jack Keats

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Ezra Jack Keats
1916-1983
In 1963 Keats won the Caldecott Medal

 Ezra Jack Keats was born Jacob Ezra Katz on March 30th, 1916, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the third child of Polish immigrants. In 1948 he legally changed his name due to anti-semetic prejudices of the time. 
Ezra expressed interest in art as a young child. His favorite place to draw was at the kitchen table. 
During his senior year of high school, Keats won the senior class medal for excellence in art.  He declined an art scholarship and chose to work in order to help support his family during the great depression. He attended art classes at night. 
WORK HISTORY
1937- Muralist for the Works Progress Adminstration (WPA).
1940- Comic book illustrator for 5 Star Comics.
1942- Worked on Captain Marvels Adventures comic book.
1943- Joined the US Air Corps where he designed camouflage patterns.
1947- Instructor at the School for Visual Art in NYC.
1955- Instructor at the Workshop School in NYC. 
Keats illustrated nearly 70 books written by other authors. His first children's book was titled Jubilant.
Keats wrote and illustrated 22 books during his career. Many of his books portray family life and simple pleasure in a child's daily routine. He is best known for introducing multiculturalism into mainstream American children's literature.  
Keats established The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation in 1964. The foundation became active following his death in 1983.  The foundation was dedicated to preserving the quality of Keats books and art works, promoting children's literature and creativity, and maintaining quality and diversity in children's literature. http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/
In 2012, National Public Radio (NPR) published a radio show celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Snowy Day written by Ezra Jack Keats. 
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/145052896/the-snowy-day-breaking-color-barriers-quietly

Issue #1

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SIIASI’s History

The name SANKORE’ is taken from one of Black Africa’s oldest educational institutions located in the ancient city of Timbuktu. In the 15th century Timbuktu, in general, and the Sankore’ University/Mosque complex, in particular, was the religious, scientific and literary center of the Bilad’s-Sudan. The University of Sankore’ was the intellectual magnet where pious scholars were drawn from all over the Muslim world.
In the mosque there lived and taught the murabit, a scholar who by his profound knowledge of the shari`a, his learning and the dignity of his personal life became a model to society. This devout and cultured group lived within or around the precincts of the Sankore’ University/Mosque disseminating the teachings of al-Islam and providing the people of the government with highly sought after legal decisions. These scholar/notables were held in great esteem by both dignitaries and common people alike. Their knowledge astounded the most learned people of al-Islam. Because of them, pupils flocked to this university from all regions of the Muslim world.


To the government of Islamic Africa, the Sankore’ University/Mosque supplied generations of administrators, judges and functionaries of the state. To the wider community, the university furnished teachers, men of religion, jurist and a class of merchants, notaries and clerks. There emerged within the vicinity of the Sankore’ University/Mosque complex scholarly guilds who combined the teaching of `ilm with the transmission of professional vocation.

There were the Alfa guilds responsible for the transmission of the craft of scribe, tailoring and embroidery. There were the Arma guilds responsible for the transmission of tanning and leather work. There were the Modibe’ guilds responsible for the transmission of city planning, architecture, masjid construction and the important craft of grave digging (malu). They also supervised the gabibi guild of masons (soro banna), carpentry and smithing (diamouasi). Among these respected and venerated modibe’ scholar/master builders was the erudite chief judge of Timbuktu, al-Qadi al-Aqib ibn Mahmud ibn Umar who built the Sankore’ University/Mosque. He accomplished this with the financial assistance of a wealthy African woman who left a generous endowment for the founding and building of the famous educational center.

Shaykh Mahmud Ka`ti described the process and building codes utilized for the building of Sankore’ in his Tareekh ‘l-Fataash, “Al-Qadi Aqib made the pilgrimage . . .in the year 989 he began building the Sankore’ mosque, may Allah be merciful to him. I was informed by one of the shaykhs, ‘When he made the pilgrimage and prepared to take leave to return to Timbuktu, he took authorization from the attendants of the noble Kaaba to delineate the measurement of the Kaaba in length and breadth.

They gave him permission and he measured it with a long cord measuring the length and breadth by marking these on the cord. He then brought this cord back to Timbuktu to serve as proportions. When he was ready to build the Sankore’ Mosque, he unrolled the cord and delineated the exact breadth he wanted to build by placing four pegs planted on the corners of the four directions. Thus the inner court of the mosque had the exact dimensions of the Kaaba. It is not deficient nor does it exceed it in any way.

In short, the products of this religious and educational institution became the leaders of society in all its spheres of activity. The Sankore’ University was the symbol of the spirit of the society, the guardian of its morals and the formulator of its hopes and aspirations.
The Sankore’ Institute of Islamic-African Studies International was first conceived December 15, 1985, in the Republic of Sudan as the result of conversations between the present Sultan of Maiurno al-Hajj Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Bello Maiurno ibn Attahiru ibn Ahmad Zuruku ibn Abu Bakr Attiku ibn Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio, our shaykh, Imam Muhammad al-Amin ibn Adam Karagh, Ahmad Abideen Hassan and the founding director Muhammad Shareef.

The sultan gavesultan al-hajj abu bakr making supplication for the umma written authorization and commissioned S.I.I.A.S.I. to collect the Arabic and Ajami manuscripts of the Sokoto Caliphate from northern Nigeria and convey them to the town of Maiurno in order to be edited and republished to provide capital for the public amenities and the general welfare of the people. As a result trips were made to Chad, Northern Nigeria, Mali to collect and copy old manuscripts relevent to the Islamic heritage of the Bilad ‘s-Sudan. Later the Sultan al-Hajj Abu Bakr and the Imam Muhammad al-Amin gave written authorization for S.I.I.A.S.I. to translate these works into English and disseminate these works among the Muslims of the United States.

To date S.I.I.A.S.I. has collected 3000 Arabic manuscripts and 123 Ajami manuscripts (Fulbe’, Hausa, Wolof and Mande’). Of these, more than 89 have been translated and published by the institute. Classes utilizing the works published by the institute have been established in the cities of Houston, Atlanta, Compton, Los Angeles and Oakland. Presently in two correctional institutions in California the S.I.I.A.S.I. curriculum is being taught to some 400 Muslim inmates. In 1992 the S.I.I.A.S.I. was officially made a research organization of IHRAAM (the International Human Rights Association for American Minorities), the only non-governmental organization that represents American national minorities in the United Nations.

Our teacher, the late Waziri of Sokoto, Junayd ibn Muhammad al-Bukhari once said, “Knowledge is universal and eternal but it has a social and cultural stamp. It also has a purpose and a commitment to a particular world view. It therefore cannot be neutral.” History has shown that African Muslims around the world have been branded and stamped with a social and cultural stamp which not their own. The world view that they now share is completely alien to them.

Waziri Junayd also said in his book called Nayl ‘l-Arab Fi Istifsaa’i ‘n-Nasab

“Whoever does not inform his children of his grandfathers then has destroyed his child, marred his descendants, and injured his offspring the day he dies.
Whoever does not make use of his ancestry, then he has muddled his reason
Whoever is not concerned with his descent, then he has lost his mind.
Whoever neglects his origin, then his stupidity has become critical
Whoever does not know his roots, then his idiocy has become great.
Whoever does not cause his ancestry to be abundant then his opinion has become corrupted.
Whoever is ignorant of his lineage then his intellect has dissipated.
Whoever does not increase his place of descent, then he has abolished his honor.”

Althohatumereugh this searing poem was originally composed more than 500 years ago, it accurately describes the psychosis suffered by Africans the world over, especially the Africans in the United States and the western hemisphere. The above poem by our Muslim ancestors foretold our sickness and the work of the Sankore’ Institute of Islamic-African Studies International will help (Allah willing) calculate the cure. The overall aims of the institute is to rediscover the authentic purpose, commitment and particular world view of Islamic Africa and to revive the learning which gave it its unique social and cultural stamp. In short, the Sankore’ Institute is, with the help of Allah ta`ala, preserving and extending the intellectual heritage of the ancient Sankore’ University/Mosque of the 15th century – making this legacy viable for the electronic age for the Muslims of Africa, America and the world.

Shaykh Muhammad Shareef