ANKH | Civil Rights on a Human Scale

ANKH is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic ideograph meaning Life. In the context of this project, it’s the story about Civil Rights on a Human Scale as told through the eyes of two friends.

The project’s philosophy: it takes one person to make a change and two to start a revolution.

 

ANKH | Beginnings

The concept for ANKH started for me in the 1990s while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and the opportunity to visit and learn about their foundation at Koinonia Farm in Georgia.

In 2017, I learned even more during my multi-year listening tour that Rachel Andresen inspired. Her worldview was knowing thy neighbor and actively understanding them.

“It’s impossible to hate someone (or a country) when one actually knows and understands [them] on a family and community level.”

Rachel Andresen, 1951.

This education culminated in a plan to engage with people about Civil Rights on a Human Scale through interactive conversations and live performances.

 

ANKH | Story

Because it can be easier to initially convey a personal viewpoint through storytelling and abstraction, I started by creating two characters, Shelly “Traction” Jones and Scott “Splinter” Owens. They’re friends who see the world very differently. Traction believes there’s a future, while Splinter dwells on what was.

We’ve all witnessed and are often a part of this spectrum—the comfort of the past calls, but making ourselves and our world a better place can be uncomfortable.

 

ANKH | Traction

The character of Traction is a composite based on a childhood friend, the soon-to-be owner of a Habitat for Humanity house in Detroit, and one of my great aunts. All three had the same memorable characteristics: Tough, no-nonsense, self-made, humor, and big-hearted.

ANKH | First question first

What’s your story?

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