The Sankofa Wellness Village
Program Overview
The Sankofa Wellness Village is a transformative, community-led development in West Garfield Park, designed to address deep-rooted health inequities by creating a centralized hub for holistic wellness, healthcare, economic development, and cultural healing. The name Sankofa—from the Akan people of Ghana—means “to go back and get it”, symbolizing the importance of learning from the past to build a better future.
This project emerged from the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, a collective of local organizations and residents committed to reversing over 60 years of disinvestment and one of the lowest life expectancies in Chicago. With leadership and coordination support from West Side United, the Sankofa Wellness Village is being developed as a multi-building campus, with the first phase focused on a flagship Wellness Center offering accessible, integrated health and social services.
Key Partners and Impacts
The Sankofa project is a true multi-sector collaboration involving:
Community organizations through the Garfield Park Right to Wellness Coalition.
Healthcare partners including Rush University Medical Center (behavioral health services) and Erie Family Health Center (primary and dental care).
Nonprofits like the YMCA, Equal Hope (breast cancer support), and West Side United, whose future offices will be located on site.
Funders, most notably the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, which provided a $10 million Chicago Prize grant, catalyzing over $50 million in total development funding.
Key impacts already underway include:
A groundbreaking in September 2024, marking the beginning of construction on the Wellness Center, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
Delivery of behavioral, physical, and preventive health care services in one location for a community that has lacked access to such resources for generations.
Creation of a visible, trusted neighborhood anchor for wellness, culture, and community gathering.
Future phases include two additional buildings:
The K – a business incubator designed to foster economic opportunity and entrepreneurship.
The MAC – a creative arts and community space, developed in partnership with the MAAFA Redemption Project, supporting justice-involved youth and local artists.
Long-Term Vision
The long-term vision of the Sankofa Wellness Village is to rebuild the social and physical infrastructure of West Garfield Park in a way that centers health equity, dignity, and community ownership. This includes:
Creating a national model for place-based wellness rooted in Black cultural identity and community resilience.
Enabling intergenerational health improvements by providing lifelong services from maternal care to senior wellness.
Supporting local economic development through entrepreneurship, job creation, and development as a community investment vehicle.
Building a permanent, resident-governed institution that reflects community priorities, adapts over time, and maintains accountability to those it serves.
Ultimately, Sankofa is more than a development project—it’s a symbol and structure of healing and hope, signaling that West Garfield Park is worthy of deep, sustained investment and that its residents are the architects of their own future.
