Vic Mensa is starting a new mission to get Black Americans to rediscover their ancestral roots.
In a recent interview with Ebony published on Thursday (Oct. 20), Mensa shared his desire to help others reconnect to their bloodline and rediscover his origins. Having been born to a Ghanaian father, Mensa began visiting the West African nation as a child.
“Most of my family is still in Ghana, [and] my father is the only one who came to the United States,” he said. “I now understand what a privilege it is to be able to keep my connection to my ancestry and culture. It’s an immense honor to know my history, the language of my people, and so much more.”
Being a connection between Black Americans and Africa — and bridging the gap — is something Mensa takes seriously. “Black Americans have become detached from the Mother Continent, not just physically, but also mentally, as shown throughout history. But, it’s time to accept who we are as African people,” he continued. Mensa revealed he began his mission with two friends — Mike Abrantie and Uduimoh, both born in Illinois with Ghanaian roots — by taking Chicago high school students to the African country.
Earlier this year, Mensa took Chance the Rapper on one of these trips. “I brought Chance with me to Ghana in January. He was deeply impacted by that trip and immediately wanted to get involved. Taking him to Ghana to me was the first step in my overall mission. Bringing the students was the next,” he said.
According to Ebony, in July, the “U Mad” rapper and Chance hosted a group of Black Chicago high school students in Ghana. “Being a Black kid in America rarely has anything to do with your cultural history beyond America and slavery,” Mensa added. “So, to be able to provide this experience was not only significant but also emotional for me. I just sat back and said, ‘Wow, we really did it!'”
He continued, “This will be an annual experience. My real goal is to build intercontinental collaborations that have the potential to mend the broken bond between the diaspora. I can only imagine the result that will come from students being exposed to their ancestral land earlier in life.”