Go Back & Get It: A Sankofa Audio Journey

Catalyst For Harmony

In April 2026, a group of pastors, educators, students, and leaders traveled together from New Orleans to Memphis on a Sankofa pilgrimage led by Catalyst for Harmony. They visited Whitney Plantation, the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, 16th Street Baptist Church, and the National Civil Rights Museum. Along the way, they had the kind of conversations most people never get to hear. Go Back and Get It is a 7-episode audio documentary that captures those conversations as they happened: on the bus, in hotel lobbies, at park benches, and in the quiet moments after walking through spaces where history still weighs heavy. These are not scripted interviews. They are real people processing faith, race, and American history together in real time. Featuring Dr. Michael Emerson (Rice University), Dr. Glenn Bracey (Villanova University), and voices from across the country wrestling with one question: now that we've seen it, what do we do? A production of Catalyst for Harmony. Produced by VBG Creative. Voice Narration by Sharleatha Collins Music by William Brown III New episodes weekly.

Episodes

  1. Jul 21

    Episode 7: Looking Back to Move Forward

    Episode 7: Looking Back to Move Forward Go Back and Get It: A Sankofa Audio Journey The final episode. Weeks after the trip, the same four voices that opened the series come back together. Andy Gray, Sharleatha Collins, Dr. Michael Emerson, and Dr. Glenn Bracey process what's happened since they got off the bus, including the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act. Glenn tells the story of an 88-year-old woman who thought voting rights were settled and is watching that fight being lost at the end of her life. Michael says he used to think we were heading back to the 1960s but now thinks we're heading back to the 1920s. Sharleatha connects Plessy v. Ferguson taking 60 years to be repealed and asks how long this decision will take. The conversation moves through gerrymandering, prison labor, greed as a founding sin, and the asymmetry of trust in America. Then the four of them make the case for why people should go on a Sankofa trip. Sharleatha delivers the line that defines the series: "Community is a compound word. Common unity. You cannot experience these things unless you're in common unity with other people experiencing it at the same time." Voices: Andy Gray (Catalyst for Harmony), Sharleatha Collins, Dr. Michael Emerson (Rice University), Dr. Glenn Bracey (Villanova University) The Religion of Whiteness by Michael O. Emerson and Glenn E. Bracey is available wherever books are sold. Recorded remotely via Riverside — May 26, 2026 Go Back and Get It is a production of Catalyst for Harmony. Produced by VBG Creative. Music by William Brown III

    Episode 7: Looking Back to Move Forward

  2. Jul 21

    Episode 6: Reflections

    Episode 6: Reflections Go Back and Get It: A Sankofa Audio Journey Near the end of the week, we asked a few participants to share what this trip did to them. Dean Kaihoi, a retired physician on his second Sankofa, was overwhelmed by the impact on children at 16th Street Baptist Church. Ed Usynski, a 35-year ministry veteran, admitted he hadn't been paying attention to people's stories in a long time and the trip brought the feeling back. A mother and her adopted Black son process the trip side by side, including the moment a woman in an SUV stopped three Black boys selling school fundraiser books in their own neighborhood in suburban Minnesota in 2016. And a former professor and current pastor arrives at the realization that faith might be best understood through the eyes of the people who had every reason to abandon it and chose not to. Voices: Dean Kaihoi, Ed Usynski, Andy Gray, Maridel Sandberg, Daniel, Dale Durie Recorded on location — April 22-24, 2026 Go Back and Get It is a production of Catalyst for Harmony. Produced by VBG Creative. Music by William Briwn III

    Episode 6: Reflections

  3. Jul 2

    Episode 5: A Question for the Church

    Episode 5: A Question for the Church Go Back and Get It: A Sankofa Audio Journey The centerpiece of the series. Dr. Glenn Bracey sits down with four members of one church, Bethel Christian Fellowship in Minneapolis, to ask what they wish their congregation could see from this trip. Pastor Stanley Roberts breaks down recounting the tunnel where enslaved people walked from the boat to the auction block. Felicia Roberts, 71 years old and on her second Sankofa trip, sings a line from a Negro spiritual and Glenn confirms it's scriptural. Pastor Steve Rasmussen names the cost: his church lost 100 members after engaging racial justice. Dr. Felix Amedome from Ghana offers the perspective of someone whose culture gave the world the word Sankofa. They wrestle with selective scripture use, the seduction of power, and what kingdom living actually looks like. Voices: Dr. Glenn Bracey (Villanova University), Stanley Roberts (Bethel Christian Fellowship), Felicia Roberts (Bethel Christian Fellowship), Pastor Steve Rasmussen (Bethel Christian Fellowship), Dr. Felix Amedome (Bethel Christian Fellowship) The Religion of Whiteness by Michael O. Emerson and Glenn E. Bracey is available wherever books are sold. Recorded on location — April 23, 2026 Go Back and Get It is a production of Catalyst for Harmony. Produced by VBG Creative. Music by William Brown III

    Episode 5: A Question for the Church

  4. Jul 2

    Episode 4: Kelly Ingram Park and The Next Generation

    Episode 4: Kelly Ingram Park and The Next Generation Go Back and Get It: A Sankofa Audio Journey Three friends in their 20s sit on a bench in Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham, Alabama, the site of the 1963 children's march where fire hoses and police dogs were turned on young protesters. Daniel grew up Black with white parents in suburban Minnesota where there were 10 Black people in his town and he was related to 9 of them. Alex grew up white in Minneapolis and had to make intentional choices to diversify his world. Averee grew up white in a Southern Baptist church in a Black neighborhood and didn't learn until seminary that his denomination was founded because they supported slavery. They talk about white guilt, code-switching, what it means to check out of hard conversations, and what their generation needs to do differently. Voices: Daniel, Alex, Averee Recorded at Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham, AL — April 23, 2026 Go Back and Get It is a production of Catalyst for Harmony. Produced by VBG Creative. Music by William Brown III

    Episode 4: Kelly Ingram Park and The Next Generation

  5. Jun 17

    Episode 3: Race, History, and the Educational Impact

    Episode 3: Race, History, and the Educational Impact Go Back and Get It: A Sankofa Audio Journey After visiting the EJI Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, five educators and one ministry leader sit down to wrestle with the question they can't escape: how do you go back to your classroom after this? Dr. Glenn Bracey opens with raw honesty about not knowing how to teach his white students after what he's felt. Jennifer Ackerman reframes the educator's instinct: she's not walking away with stories to tell, she's walking away feeling the stories of others. Khanh Nguyen connects ICE raids in Minnesota to the echoes of slavery. Paul Thompson names the impossible math of 15-week semesters and too much history to cover. And Dr. Michael Emerson makes the case for immersive learning as the deepest form of education. Voices: Dr. Glenn Bracey (Villanova University), Khanh Nguyen (University of Northwestern St. Paul / Bethel University), Jennifer Ackerman (Fuller Seminary), Vanya Gomez (Fuller Center for Spiritual Formation), Paul Thompson (North Greenville University), Dr. Michael Emerson (Rice University) The Religion of Whiteness by Michael O. Emerson and Glenn E. Bracey is available wherever books are sold. Recorded on location in Montgomery, AL — April 22, 2026 Go Back and Get It is a production of Catalyst for Harmony. Produced by VBG Creative. Music by William Brown III

    Episode 3: Race, History, and the Educational Impact

  6. Jun 10

    Episode 2: The Sheer Weight of It

    Go Back and Get It: A Sankofa Audio Journey Day one hits hard. Participants reflect on their first encounters with Whitney Plantation and the sites across New Orleans and Biloxi. Dr. Glenn Bracey fields questions from the group following his presentation on The Religion of Whiteness, the book he co-authored with Dr. Michael Emerson. Then a group of pastors and ministry leaders sit down to wrestle with the question that won't let go: how do we bring what we've seen back to our congregations? Featuring reflections from Marissa Maddox and Dr. Felix Amedome. Q&A with Dr. Glenn Bracey (Villanova University). Pastors conversation with Sharleatha Collins, Chris (Hub City Church), Leslie Sanders (New Community Covenant Church, Chicago), Erica Abdel-Khaliq (Westwood Community Church, Minneapolis), Madur (Union City Church / Just Love, Brunswick, GA), and Andy Gray. The Religion of Whiteness by Michael O. Emerson and Glenn E. Bracey is available here. Recorded on location — April 20-21, 2026 Go Back and Get It is a production of Catalyst for Harmony. Produced by VBG Creative. Music by William Brown III

    Episode 2: The Sheer Weight of It

  7. Jun 10

    Episode 1: Why Sankofa

    Go Back and Get It: A Sankofa Audio Journey Before the bus rolls, the leaders behind the Sankofa pilgrimage sit down to talk about why this trip exists. Andy Gray, Sharleatha Collins, and Dr. Michael Emerson share the origins of their passion for racial harmony, the experiences that shaped their commitment to this work, and what they hope participants will carry with them after a week traveling from New Orleans to Memphis. This is where the journey begins. Voices: Andy Gray (Catalyst for Harmony), Sharleatha Collins, Dr. Michael Emerson (Rice University) Recorded on location in New Orleans, LA — April 19, 2026 Go Back and Get It is a production of Catalyst for Harmony. Produced by VBG Creative. Music by William Brown III

    Episode 1: Why Sankofa
  • 7 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

In April 2026, a group of pastors, educators, students, and leaders traveled together from New Orleans to Memphis on a Sankofa pilgrimage led by Catalyst for Harmony. They visited Whitney Plantation, the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, 16th Street Baptist Church, and the National Civil Rights Museum. Along the way, they had the kind of conversations most people never get to hear. Go Back and Get It is a 7-episode audio documentary that captures those conversations as they happened: on the bus, in hotel lobbies, at park benches, and in the quiet moments after walking through spaces where history still weighs heavy. These are not scripted interviews. They are real people processing faith, race, and American history together in real time. Featuring Dr. Michael Emerson (Rice University), Dr. Glenn Bracey (Villanova University), and voices from across the country wrestling with one question: now that we've seen it, what do we do? A production of Catalyst for Harmony. Produced by VBG Creative. Voice Narration by Sharleatha Collins Music by William Brown III New episodes weekly.

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