Created by junior entrepreneurship major John KK Jones out of his need to reveal the African struggle, League of Conscious Knowledge Seekers or L.O.C.K.S., met Tuesday night in Oscar Ritchie Hall to discuss the significance of ancestors in shaping everyday life.

Jones began the meeting by honoring ancestors through libations, a religious ritual of pouring water into a pot for each god or ancestor named. Some members honored family, while others mentioned names like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth.

“The concept of ancestry is a constant. The concept of afterlife is a constant. and if we are going to reclaim our traditional african culture we have to start somewhere, and ancestry is a great place to start,” Jones said.

L.O.C.K.S is a new student organization that seeks to empower the African and African-American community by spreading awareness through discussions and workshops.

“We owe it to our future generation to keep this spoken history alive,” said senior sociology major Tracie Pickett. “We’re going to be those ancestors one day, so it’s important for us to keep talking about it in groups like this.”

Lauren Rathmell is a diversity reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].